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The Asian Journal of Biology Education

ISSN 1447-0209

Volume 7: December 2013

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Dr. Nobuyasu Katayama (Tokyo Institute of Biology Education, Japan)

Editorial Committee

Dr. Narendra D. Deshmukh (HBCSE, TIFR, India)

Dr. C. H. Diong (National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Professor Juneuy Hong (Seowon University, Korea)

Professor Heui-Baik Kim (Seoul National University, Korea)

Professor Shigeki Mayama (Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan)

Dr. Kiyoyuki Ohshika (Aichi University of Education, Japan)

Dr. Anne M. Wallis (Deakin University, Australia)

The Asian Journal of Biology Education (Asian J. Biol. Educ.) is published electronically by the AsianAssociation for Biology Education (AABE). The Journal is on theAABE web site: http://www.aabe.sakura.ne.jp

Copyright ©2004 by the Asian Association for Biology Education. All rights reserved.

Asian Journal of Biology Education Vol. 7 (2013) 1

The Asian Journal of Biology Education

Volume 7: December 2013

Research Papers

Students’ Perceptions about Climate Change

Arnold D. Pitpitunge …….………………………...……………………………………… 2

A Lab Guiding Tool for a Life Science Experiment that Possibly Provides

Teachers’ Tacit Knowledge: Evaluation of Its Efficacy for Auto-tutorial

Support in Upper Secondary Schools

Hiroshi Okuda ….………………………...…………...……………………………......… 12

Practical Note

“Meet a Microbiologist” (MAM) Program: A Teaching Strategy for Motivating

Undergraduate Microbiology Students

Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz, Ma. Victoria B. Pangilinan,Nikki Heherson A. Dagamac, Jeremy Martin O. Torres,Krystle Angelique A. Santiago, and Sittie Aisha B. Macabago ..………............................. 25

Abstracts of the Papers Presented at the 24th Biennial Conference

of the AABE …………………………………………………………………………………..… 31

Obituary ………………………………………………………………………………………… 64

From the Editor-in-Chief …………..………….…………………………………..........…. 64

Students’ Perceptions about Climate Change Pitpitunge

2 Asian Journal of Biology Education Vol. 7 (2013)

Research Paper

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Arnold D. Pitpitunge

Philippine Science High School – Central Luzon Campus, Philippines

(Received: 16 February 2013; accepted: 17 September 2013)

This study determined the science high school students’ perceptions on the aspects of climate

change. It involved randomly selected 122 science high school students who took the researcher-

made multiple choice climate change test. In each item, the students circled their choice, pro-

vided brief explanation about their answer, and determined the source of information about the

concept. The answers were coded to determine the students’ climate change perceptions. The re-

sults showed that the students hold more correct perceptions on the basic concepts and causes of

climate change but they have more lack of perceptions on the effects, mitigations and adaptations.

Furthermore, the students had alternative perceptions and they had poor knowledge and compre-

hension on the aspects of climate change. Significant differences were found on the correct per-

ceptions of male and female students on climate change mitigations. Similarly, significant dif-

ferences were observed in the correct and alternative perceptions of first and second year stu-

dents on the basic concepts of climate change. Information from the media and from

home/community was related to the lack of perception and alternative perceptions on climate

change basic concepts, effects, and mitigations.

Keywords: adaptation, alternative perceptions, climate change, correct perceptions, mitigation,

perceptions

*Author for correspondence: Philippine Science High School – Central Luzon Campus, Clark Free-port Zone, Pampanga, Philippines. e-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Climate change encompasses environ-

mental issues like flooding, storm surges, sea

level rise, temperature rise, variability of pre-

cipitation, and extreme weather conditions. It is

attributed to the rising concentration of green-

house gases and increasing environmental deg-

radation. It becomes a concern of international

organizations and government institutions be-

cause of its impacts on different sectors such as

agriculture, ecosystems and biodiversity (IPCC

2007).

Investigations of students’ climate change

perceptions reveal important insights about their

way of thinking and understanding of environ-

mental issues and scientific concepts. Studies

on climate change show that students have lack

of perceptions on ozone layer depletion and

global warming, on climate and weather

(Lombardi and Sinatra 2012, Gowda et al. 1997),

on the radiation involve in the greenhouse effect

(Choi et al. 2010), and on the causes and conse-

quence of climate change (Pruneau et al. 2001).

These lack of perceptions persist even after

recieveing instruction about climate change and

weather (Cordero et al. 2008). The perceptions

are affected by sources of information like the

media and schools (Ho 2009, Kisoglu et al.

2010).

This study aims to find out the science high



school students’ perceptions on the aspects of

climate change and to determine the extent of

their knowledge and comprehension on climate

change. Specifically, it seeks to determine if the

students’ (1) correct perceptions (extent of

knowledge and comprehension), (2) lack of per-

ceptions, and (3) alternative perceptions on the

different aspects of climate change are signifi-

cantly related to the variables such as gender,

religious affiliation, academic year level, fam-

ily’s monthly income, leisure time activities, and

sources of information.

METHODS

The descriptive-qualitative-correlation type

of research was employed in this study.

Through stratified-random sampling, 122 high

school students whose age ranges from 12-14

were taken from the first and second year levels

of two science schools of the 10-year basic edu-

cation curriculum of the Philippines. For data

gathering, two types of research instruments

were used: (1) a questionnaire that requires per-

sonal information (personal data sheet) and (2) a

multiple test items on climate change. Each

multiple choice item had four options in which

the students circled the answer they think is cor-

rect, wrote explanation about their answer, and

identified the source of information.

The test contained concepts on the aspects

of climate change that include the basic concepts,

causes, effects, mitigations and adaptations.

The answer and explanation for each item

were the bases in determining the perceptions of

the students. The correct perceptions were de-

rived from the correct answer and explanations

on the concepts while the lack of perceptions

was from incorrect answer and explanations.

The alternative perceptions were determined

from answers that are either correct or incorrect

and explanations that are neither correct nor in-

correct. The alternative perceptions referred to

students’ personal ideas, views, and beliefs

which are not considered to be errors or incor-

rect even if they are not consistent with scien-

tifically accepted views (Read 2004). The ex-

tent of knowledge and comprehension was de-

termined by identifying the percentage of correct

perceptions about the different aspects of cli-

mate change (Mangawil 2007).

Using the Kuder-Richardson reliability

formula, the computed coefficient alpha was

equivalent to 0.82 which shows that the test had

high reliability. Data were entered into an SPSS

16.0 for Windows data file and the accuracy of

data input, missing values, and outliers were

checked. The percentage of correct perceptions,

lack of perceptions, and alternative perceptions

was computed and compared. Descriptive statis-

tics was used to determine the profile of the stu-

dents while t-test for independent sample and

One-Way ANOVA determined the differences

on the perceptions of students when grouped

according to gender, religious affiliations, aca-

demic year level, family’s monthly income, and

leisure time activities. Spearman rho determined

the relationship of students’ perceptions and the

sources of information.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The aspects of climate change include basic

concepts, effects and causes of climate change,

mitigation strategies to address the sources, and

strategies to cope with the impacts of climate

change. The concepts are related to different

sectors such as coastal communities, human

health, and ecosystem including agriculture,

freshwater, forests, and biodiversity. Concepts,

ideas and views related to greenhouse effects,

greenhouse gases, global warming, and radia-

tions are included in the identification of stu-

dents’ perceptions.

Figure 1 shows that the number of students

who have correct perception on each of the as-

pects of climate change is below 50%. Accord-

ing to Mangawil (2007), the level of knowledge

and comprehension is considered to be “poor” if

the percentage of correct perceptions is between



30% and 49%. Therefore, based on the mean

percentage of the correct perceptions, Figure 1

indicates students’ poor level of knowledge and

comprehension on all the aspects of climate

change.

To improve the level of understanding of

students and to eliminate their lack of percep-

tions, Cordero et al. (2008) suggested active

learning methods. Students should be involved

in the teaching and learning process. Climate

change education should be scientifically and

socially oriented to increase the knowledge and

comprehension of students on the different as-

pects.

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

Basic Concepts of

Climate Change

Causes of Climate

Change

Effects of Climate

Change

Mitigations of

Climate Change

Adaptations of

Climate Change

Stu

dent

s'P

erce

ptio

ns(%

)

Correct Perceptions Lack of Perceptions Alternative Perceptions

Figure 1 Students’ perceptions on the aspects of climate change

The level of knowledge and comprehension based on correct perceptions: 30%-Below

(Very poor); 30-49% (Poor); 50-69% (Moderate); 70-89% (High); 90% and above

(Very high)

Correct perceptions

Table 1 shows the perceptions of students

on the different aspects of climate change. The

correct perceptions include the awareness of the

students on the intensification of typhoons

(IPCC 2007), the different aspects of climate

change, and concepts of temperature rise, green-

house effect and greenhouse gases (Choi et al.

2010)

The students identify human activities as-

sociated with climate change. Slash and burn

farming system denudes forests that sequester

atmospheric carbon dioxide. In addition, the

conversion of forests into agricultural lands and

land development decrease of carbon dioxide

sequestration and increase of greenhouse gas

production (ADB 2009). Greenhouse gases are

the main factor that contributes to the intensifi-

cation of global warming and climate change

(IPCC 2007). Methane from rice fields, wet-

lands and animal wastes also act as a greenhouse

gas (Bogner et al. 2007).

Mitigation strategies are promoted to re-

duce the production of greenhouse gases from

the different sectors. Table 1 shows the activi-

ties (IPCC 2007), strategies, and practices (ADB

2009) that the students perceived as related to

the reduction of greenhouse gas concentration in

the atmosphere.



Table 1 Students’ perceptions on the different aspects of climate change

Aspects ofClimate Change

Correct Perception

Basic Concepts Typhoons have higher frequency, strength, wind speed and heavy precipitationClimatic changes do not cause volcanic activities (weather and climate do not lead to eruption of

volcanoes)Global warming is an aspect of climate changeThe greenhouse effect involves heat and greenhouse gases in the atmosphereGreenhouse gases cause climate change

Causes Slash and burn or kaingin system of farming reduces carbon sequestrationMicroorganisms in freshwater/rice fields and in animal wastes produce methane, a greenhouse gasGreenhouse gases cause global warming and climate changeLand development and land use change produce greenhouse gases

Effects Sea level rise leads to salt water intrusion on coastal areasTemperature rise makes coastal areas and ecosystem vulnerableHigher temperature increases population of disease-causing vectors like mosquitoesPrecipitation variability, temperature rise, and drought affect water supplyDrought, flooding and stronger storms decrease agricultural yields

Mitigations Tree planting activities help carbon dioxide sequestrationThe Philippine government promotes the use of biofuel like ethanol and other alternative source

of energy (RA 9367)Efficiency of new machines produces less greenhouse gasesRecycling practices help mitigate the impacts of climate change

Adaptations Improvement of building technology and sea wall constructions lessen the impact of climatechange in coastal areas

Management of restricted areas and natural sanctuaries lessen the vulnerability of endangeredspecies

Propagation of drought resistant species allows forest to cope with climate changeAdjustment of the dates of planting for farmers minimizes loss in agricultural yields

Aspects ofClimate Change

Lack of Perceptions

Basic concepts Climate change is defined as the condition of an areas over long period of time or a result of badweather condition

Climate change is the effect of global warningGreenhouse gases produce heat

Causes Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a result of volcanic activitiesGlobal warming and greenhouse effect cause climate changeRadiations increase the hole of the ozone layerWetlands/rice fields produce water vapor that causes climate change

Effects Climate change causes freshwater contamination and pollutionCarbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere poisons forest plants Increased number of stronger storms is the impact of climate change on coastal areasClimate change has no effect on water supplyClimate change has no effect on endangered plants and animalsAdjustments in farming/cultivation decrease agricultural yields

Mitigations Waste segregation lessens the impact of climate change such as floodingPaper products such as paper bags do not produce GHG even if they are burnedUsage of recycled materials in industrial productions lessens carbon dioxideRecycled materials do not produces carbon dioxideWaste management stops carbon dioxide production

Adaptations People in coastal areas should change their source of living from fishing to farmingFreshwater water supply in rural areas should be controlledEndangered species should be collected and placed in sanctuariesNew species of trees should be introduced into the Philippine forestsMore fisheries should be constructed in bodies of water



Table 1 (continued)

Aspects ofClimate change

Alternative perceptions (Perceptions that are neither correct nor incorrect)

Basic concepts Flooding is associated with garbage and poor drainage systemOzone hole causes climate changeGreenhouse gases pollute the environment

Causes Radiation from the sun causes climate changeOzone layer depletion is the factor that changes the Earth’s climate change Increasing human population increases carbon dioxide concentration in the environment

Effects Day and night temperature variability in coastal areas is an effect of climate change Increasing concentration of greenhouse gases and rising temperature increase cases of skin can-

cer and skin diseasesChanges in farming practices increase crop yields

Mitigations Recycling of materials lessen harmful gasesBiodegradable materials are safe to useEfficient machines are safe and eco-friendly

Adaptations Water distribution is based on the need of the communityNatural sanctuaries are converted into eco-tourist parksBirth control and family planning lessen production of wastes and greenhouse gases

The students recognize the climate change

impacts on human health conditions (Akerlof et

al. 2010), coastal communities (ADB 2009), and

ecosystems that include agriculture, freshwater,

forest (Hawkins et al. 2008), and biodiversity

(IPCC 2007).

Adaptation strategies are necessary to cope

with the consequences or potential damages of

climate change. Table 1 shows that students

focused on adaptation strategies to cope with the

impacts of climate change on coastal areas, agri-

culture (Lansigan 2005) and ecosystems that

include biodiversity and forests (IPCC, 2007).

Lack of perception

Similar with the findings of Cordero et al.

(2008), the students are unable to differentiate

the following terms, climate change, global

warming, climate, and weather. Table 1 indi-

cates that understanding of the mechanism of

greenhouse effect and global warming is prob-

lematic (Choi et al. 2010).

Without considering the impacts of precipi-

tation variability and temperature rise (IPCC

2007), the students wrote that climate change

does not alter water supply in many parts of the

country and it has no impact on agricultural ac-

tivities, biodiversity, and ecosystem.

The students inaccurately associate waste

clean-up as more related strategy to climate

change mitigation than tree planting activities.

They focus on environmental-friendly activities

such as recycling and waste management. In

addition, many of them admit lack of knowledge

and awareness on the different mitigation strate-

gies to lessen the production of carbon dioxide

from the different sectors.

Changes in livelihood of fishermen, collec-

tion of endangered species, introduction of tree

species, and construction of fisheries are pro-

posed to cope with the impacts of climate

change. These suggestions are made without

consideration of the effects on temperature rise

and variability, intensification of typhoons, vul-

nerability of organisms (IPCC 2007), and inva-

sion of introduced species.

Alternative perceptions

The students identify garbage and poor

drainage system as the observable indicator of

climate change, climate change and the hole of

the ozone layer as related concepts and green-

house gases as pollutant. Solar radiation and

ozone layer depletion cause changes in the at-

mosphere. Temperature rise and variability is

associated with skin cancer and diseases.



The increasing human population is a factor

that increases the carbon dioxide concentration

in the atmosphere. The students recommend

birth control and family planning program as

tools to control the population. They believe

that biodegradable materials release less green-

house gases and efficient machines decrease the

energy consumption. In addition, they propose

proper distribution of freshwater supply and

conversion of natural sanctuaries into eco-tourist

parks as adaptation strategies.

Students’ perceptions and their socio-demographic

characteristics

The perceptions of the students on the dif-

ferent aspects of climate change are not related

to their religious affiliation, family’s monthly

income, and leisure time activities. However,

Table 2 shows that the students’ correct percep-

tions and lack of perceptions on the mitigation

of climate change are related to gender. It indi-

cates that male and female differ on their per-

ceptions on strategies to stop the production of

greenhouse gases from the different sectors.

Table 3 shows that perceptions of students

on the basic concepts and causes of climate

change are related to their academic year level.

Second year students have more correct percep-

tion on basic concepts than the first year stu-

dents who have more lack of perceptions on the

causes. First year students have more alternative

perceptions on basic concepts. This could be

associated with the exposure of second year stu-

dents to different environmental issues inte-

grated in their science subjects.

Table 2 Science High School students’ perceptions on the different aspects of climate change whengrouped according to gender

PerceptionsAspect ofClimateChange

Gender N Mean SDMeanDifference

tSig.(2-tailed)

Male 51 45 22.0Correct Perception Mitigations

Female 71 31 18.214 3.9 0.0001

Male 51 36 24.4Lack of Perception Mitigations

Female 71 46 24.4-10 -2.2 0.03

Table 3 Science High School Students’ Perceptions on the Different Aspects of Climate Changewhen grouped according to Academic Year Level

PerceptionsAspects ofClimateChange

Academic Year Level N Mean SDMeanDifference

tSig.(2-tailed)

First Year High School 59 43 22.6 -9 -2.3 0.026Correct Perception

Basic Con-cepts Second Year High

School63 52 22.4

First Year High School 59 40 17.2 8 2.2 0.03Lack of Perception Causes Second Year High

School63 32 20.5

First Year High School 59 20 14.0 8 3.1 0.002Alternative Per-ception

Basic Con-cepts Second Year High

School63 12 12.8

Relationship of Students’ perceptions and the

sources of information

The correct perceptions of the students on

the aspects of climate change are not influenced

by the different sources of information such as

the media, home and community, and academic

institutions. However, Table 4 shows that the

lack of perceptions and alternative perceptions



are related to the sources of information.

The media that include television programs,

documentary films, newspapers, and other

printed media remain to be one of the important

sources of information about climate change for

the students (Filho 2010), although the media

sometimes provide vague and incomplete infor-

mation on climate change (Fortner 2001).

Table 4 indicates that information from

home/community lessened the lack of percep-

tions of the students on the basic concepts. It

further implies that family and community

members are providing information that could

remove or correct lack of perceptions of students

about climate change.

Information from schools increased the lack

of perception of students about climate change

mitigations. The development of lack of percep-

tions might be due to association of environ-

mental-friendly activities with climate change

mitigations and adaptations (Fortner 2001). The

activities might include community clean-up,

wastes segregation scheme and recycling. The

association contributes to the lack of perceptions

of the students. Such lack of perceptions will

continue to persist if the correct relationship is

not established.

Information from the media decreased the

alternative perceptions of the students on effects

and adaptations. Information from schools re-

moved the alternative perceptions of students on

the basic concepts.

The complexity of climate system and the

broadness of climate change concepts produce

students’ lack of perceptions and alternative per-

ceptions. The diversity of information from the

media, home/community, and school could

deepen or eliminate incomplete understanding

on climate change (Fortner 2001).

Table 4 Correlation of Students’ Perceptions on the Aspects of Climate Change and the sources of infor-mation (n=122)

Lack of perceptions Alternative PerceptionsAspects of Climate Change

MEDIA HOME SCHOOL MEDIA HOME SCHOOLCorrelation Coeffi-cient

-0.098 -0.199* 0.086 -0.084 -0.028 -0.260**Basic Concepts

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.281 0.028 0.344 0.358 0.756 0.004

Correlation Coeffi-cient

0.227* -0.069 0.008 -0.232* 0.163 -0.013Effects

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.012 0.448 0.929 0.010 0.073 0.887


0.051 -0.005 0.214* -0.123 -0.084 -0.164Mitigations

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.579 0.958 0.018 0.178 0.356 0.070


0.128 -0.002 0.048 -0.186* -0.098 -0.058Adaptations

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.161 0.982 0.602 0.040 0.284 0.529

* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Conclusions

The students hold correct perception, lack

of perceptions, and alternative perceptions on

the different aspects of climate change. They

have more correct perceptions on the basic con-

cepts of climate change. However, they hold

more lack of perceptions on both the effects and

mitigations of climate change.

The students have poor extent knowledge

and comprehension on climate change. It indi-



cates that the students need deeper understand-

ing about the different concepts in each aspect of

climate change. They must evaluate the climate

change basic concepts, causes, effects, mitiga-

tions and adaptations. They need more activities

to explore and investigate climate change phe-

nomena.

The difference in the perceptions of first

and second year students on the basic concepts

and causes of climate change provide insights on

providing them activities to increase their

awareness, involvements, and perceptions. In

mitigating the impacts of climate change, male

and female are given equal chances but women

should be empowered to increase their percep-

tions and participations. Because the sources of

information are not related to the correct percep-

tions but are related to the lack of perceptions

and alternative perceptions of the students, iden-

tification of students’ pre-conceptions and selec-

tion of correct materials are necessary in climate

change education.

Educators should also involve students in

identifying adaptation strategies to cope with the

impacts of climate change. They should provide

opportunities for the students to evaluate im-

pacts of climate change and create models on

how to adapt to the change. Educators should

not limit their presentations, instructions and

teachings on daily temperature or daily weather

conditions but on global data. In addition, there

is a need to uncover the lack of perception and

incomplete understanding or alternative percep-

tions of the students to be able to create teaching

strategies and techniques. The poor level of

knowledge and pre-perceptions of student are

best bases for the design of educational strate-

gies to teach climate change. Knowledge gap

and lack of perceptions are identified for the se-

lection of information and activities for students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank Ms. Lilia T. Habacon, Director,

Philippine Science High School-Central Luzon

Campus, and Ms. Ma. Esperanza S. Galang,

Principal, Angeles City Science High School.

They allowed me to conduct the study. I thank

also Dr. Dominga C. Valtoribio for statistical

assistance.

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A lab guiding tool providing tacit knowledge Okuda

Asian Journal of Biology Education Vol. 7 (2013)12

Research Paper

A Lab Guiding Tool for a Life Science Experiment that

Possibly Provides Teachers’ Tacit Knowledge:

Evaluation of Its Efficacy for Auto-tutorial Support

in Upper Secondary Schools

Hiroshi Okuda*

University of Tsukuba and Shibaura Institute of Technology Senior High School, Japan

(Received: 18 June 2013; accepted: 30 December 2013)

A lab guiding tool that provides teachers’ tacit knowledge was developed to outline the proce-

dure of a life science experiment, and its effectiveness was examined. At first, some lab in-

structions and teaching plans that had been already published were collected for an analysis of

the actual state of teaching practices. It was founded that (1) these lab instructions focused on

experimental procedures and did not contain the knack that teachers accumulate from their ex-

periences (tacit knowledge) and (2) an environment supporting students in reconfirming

teacher’s instructions had not been established. The author thus analyzed teachers’ tacit

knowledge required for students’ practice on “Making preparations for microscopic observa-

tion.” The author made said knowledge into a transmittable form by using numeric represen-

tation and images, assembled it into a new instructional tool (a lab guiding tool), and devel-

oped a learning environment in which students can reconfirm the instructions. The new lab

guiding tool improved the success rate and reduced the number of discarded specimens. The

high success rate could be attributed to good ideas generated by the information that students

had obtained from the new lab guiding tool. The reduction in the number of discarded speci-

mens was due to less wasted motion and students’ failure in performance.

Key words: lab instructions, lab guiding tool, life science experiment, teachers’ tacit knowl-

edge

* Shibaura Institute of Technology Senior High School, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-0033, Japan.E-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

The new Courses of Study notified by Min-

istry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and

Technology, Japan (MEXT) claimed the enrich-

ment of observations, experiments, and scientific

experiences (MEXT 2011a, 2011b). However,

some investigations of science education in upper

secondary schools revealed that many Japanese

teachers had performed teacher-led experiments,

not student-led ones; that is, “The students only

follow the prescribed experimental procedures”

(MEXT 1999, Central Council for Education

2004, Japan Science and Technology Agency

2010).

Therefore, students, being inexperienced,

might obtain unsatisfactory results in the experi-

ments if they followed only the prescribed ex-

perimental procedures. For instance, “Observa-

tion of mitosis in onion root tip cells” is consid-

ered an important experiment in Japan because it

has been described in all science and biology



textbooks for a long time (Hatogai 2011, Tokyo

Metropolitan School Personnel In-service Train-

ing Center 2005). However, teachers and re-

searchers have pointed out some difficulties in

performing this experiment and have tried to

make it easier by developing methods with fewer

steps. Even when the students used these easier

methods, 10% – 15% of them failed in the prepa-

ration. The causes included “a cover glass slips

out of place in the squashing step” and “squash-

ing pressure is insufficient” (Kawakami and Kato

2004, Tokyo Metropolitan School Personnel

In-service Training Center 2005, Nakatake and

Nakayama 2006, Yonezawa et al. 2006).

This is partly because the squashing step

requires a knack for applying an appropriate de-

gree of pressure on the specimen with one’s

thumb, which depends on each specimen. At

present, the author thinks that students have little

chance to obtain their teachers’ tacit knowledge1)

since teachers has accumulated the tacit knowl-

edge, such as the knack which is hard to be de-

scribed, from their experiences.

It has been reported that even when teachers

perform demonstrations involving the knack, stu-

dents will fail to learn from an event when ex-

posed to it only once (Sweller 1988, Taylor 1988,

Chandler and Sweller 1991, Majerich and

Schmuckler 2008).

Therefore, a success or failure of a life sci-

ence experiment depends on various factors, such

as differences in the individual experimental

specimen and certain steps in the experiment that

need tacit knowledge. According to some re-

ports on Asian higher education reported that

tacit knowledge played a vital role in scientific

research and education (e.g., Zhang and Han

2008, Hara et al. 2010). Furthermore, some

Japanese reports have indicated that tacit knowl-

edge is important to promote the understanding

and use of scientific knowledge (Central Council

for Education 2006, 2008). However, the role

of tacit knowledge in science experiments in

Japanese secondary education has not been suffi-

ciently researched. Therefore, this study fo-

cused on transmitting the teachers’ tacit knowl-

edge to students by improving conventional lab

instructions that described the experimental pro-

cedures. If students were provided with the

teachers’ tacit knowledge in the lab instruction,

their experiment results (e.g., success rate and the

length of operation time) would be improved.

In Study I, an experiment, “Observation of

mitosis in onion root tip cells” was chosen to

analyze the instructions of experiments in school

textbooks and teaching plans. In Study II, a new

lab instructional tool that could provide the

teachers’ tacit knowledge was developed and

examined its effect on students’ lab practice.

[STUDY I]

ANALYSIS OF THE ACTUAL STATE OF

INSTRUCTIONS OF EXPERIMENTS

Study purpose

The lab instructions on “Observation of mi-

tosis in onion root tip cells” in Japanese science

and biology textbooks and the teaching plans for

this experiment were collected to analyze the

descriptions of experimental procedures to iden-

tify problems in carrying out the experiment.

Methods

Analysis of descriptions in lab instructions

Lab instructions on “Observation of mitosis

in onion root tip cells” in six Japanese science

textbooks for lower secondary school students

and four biology textbooks for upper secondary

school students were assessed regarding explicit

knowledge2) in the descriptions of five steps of

the experiment: fixation, maceration, washing,

staining and squashing, and teachers’ tacit

knowledge particularly knacks about the step of

squashing of tissue.

Analysis of teaching plans

Eight teaching plans for “Observation of



Table 1 Explicit knowledge of five steps in the experiment,“Observation of mitosis in onion root tip cells”

mitosis in onion root tip cells” were obtained

from the websites of following municipal educa-

tion centers until August 15, 2012: Tokyo, Nii-

gata, Tochigi, Gifu (two plans), Ishikawa (two

plans), and Kagoshima. Descriptions of the

“Methods of Explanation” and “Guidance to In-

dividuals,” which instructed the teacher to visit

each lab bench and to give guidance to individu-

als if necessary, in the eight teaching plans were

analyzed.

Results

Analysis of lab instructions

Table 1 shows the explicit knowledge re-

garding five steps of the experiment, “Observa-

tion of mitosis in onion root tip cells.” Table 2

shows the status of the descriptions of explicit

knowledge required for each step mentioned in

Table 1 and the indication of the method for

squashing of tissue in the lab instructions in the

ten textbooks. No lab instructions described

most of the explicit knowledge, such as the aim

of each operation and the action of the chemicals;

only operation procedures were described.

Three lab instructions provided concrete

descriptions of the direction of squashing, that is,

vertical, by using simple illustrations. However,

there were differences among these descriptions.

The degree of pressure was indicated in some

instructions as “gently,” “slowly,” or “strongly,”

but any reason for carrying out such action was

not included though adjusting the pressure ac-

cording to the conditions of specimens was re-

quired for spreading them well. Adequate in-

structions on how to squash and on the degree of

pressure in the final preparatory step were not

provided. Only three lab instructions men-

tioned the actions of chemicals briefly.

In short, all lab instructions examined did

not sufficiently cover explicit knowledge; the

details of the procedures were unclear and dif-

fered among the publishers. Furthermore, there

was almost no description of the teachers’ tacit

knowledge that is the specific knack required for

a particular step.



Table 2 Descriptions of explicit knowledge required for five steps and

indication of squashing in the lab instructions in 10 textbooks

* Japanese school textbook publishers (Abbreviation)KR: Shinko Shuppansha Keirinkan Co., Ltd.; GA: Gakko Tosho Co., Ltd.; DG: DaiichiGakushusha Corporation; JS: Jikkyo Shuppan Co., Ltd.; TS: Tokyo Shoseki Co., Ltd.,KS: Kyoiku-shuppan. Co., Ltd.; DN: Dainippon Tosho Publishing Co., Ltd.; SS: SukenShuppan Co., Ltd.

** Experimental stepsAbbreviations FX: fixation; MA: maceration; WA: washing; ST: staining; SQ: squash-ingMarks ○: Described; △: Described a part; ×: Not described

Analysis of teaching plans

Four plans described the “Methods of Ex-

planation” as a combination of oral explanation

with showing slides and demonstrations before

students’ experiments. Three teaching plans

mentioned “Guidance to Individuals” by the

teacher during the experiment. From these

teaching plans, it appears that students are ex-

pected to follow the procedure according to the

teacher’s instructions and cannot have enough

opportunity to ask the teacher about his instruc-

tions after he has finished them, even if the in-

structions included the teachers’ tacit knowledge.

[STUDY II]

DEVELOPMENT OF A LAB INSTRUCTION

AND VERIFICATION OF ITS EFFICACY

FOR AUTO-TUTORIAL SUPPORT

Study purpose

On the basis of the results of Study I, a plan

was formulated to develop a new lab instruction,

in which the following ideas were reflected: (1)

to make the teachers’ tacit knowledge, which is

difficult to verbalize, a transmittable form by us-

ing illustrations and images (still pictures and

movies); and (2) to develop a learning environ-

ment in which students can reconfirm the

teacher’s instructions. Then the usefulness of

the new lab instruction on performing the stu-

dents’ laboratory was verified in an upper secon-

dary school.

Methods

Setting of a task

As “Observation of mitosis in onion root tip

cells” is widely practiced in lower secondary

schools, “Making a preparation of salivary gland

of a Chironomidae larva for the observation of

giant chromosomes” was selected, because that is

only described in upper secondary school text-

books. The other reasons for the selection are

(1) the practice has been described for a long

time in Japanese upper secondary school text-



books; (2) individual differences exist among

living insects; (3) it seems difficult for students

to achieve this task by only following written

experimental procedures, so the teachers’ tacit

knowledge may be required; and (4) the time re-

quired to complete this task is relatively short.

The experimental procedures of this task

were as follows: introduction (explanation of the

specimen, apparatus, and chemicals), operation

step 1 (OP1: setting a specimen on a slide glass),

operation step 2 (OP2: separation of the larva’s

head from its body), operation step 3-1 (OP3-1:

removing entrails, including salivary gland, from

the body), operation step 3-2 (OP3-2: separation

of salivary gland from entrails), and operation

step 4 (OP4: staining the salivary gland).

Development of a lab instructional tool

In order to develop the lab instructional tool,

the author (1) performed a preliminary imple-

mentation of the task to identify particular steps

for which teachers’ tacit knowledge is useful and

(2) made such teachers’ tacit knowledge into

transmittable forms and packed them into the lab

instructional tool.

The author conducted the preliminary im-

plementation for 11 first-year students of an up-

per secondary school who were divided into the

control and experimental groups. A print that

contained the experimental procedures and some

still pictures was made as the preliminary lab

instructional tool. In addition to the print,

movies that showed mainly the operation proce-

dures were provided to the students in the ex-

perimental group; they could watch the movies

by a notebook PC. The students of the both

groups were asked to perform all the operations

of this task by themselves and to submit three

complete preparations. The author judged the

success or failure of the submitted preparations

by microscopic observation; those without sali-

vary gland or with salivary gland plus other or-

gans or tissues were regarded as failures. The

ratios of successful preparations to the total in the

control and experimental groups were examined

for the difference between the two groups. As a

result, there was no significant difference in the

ratio between the two groups. This suggested

that the movies could not have any effect on the

students’ performance; these movies might not

include sufficient teachers’ tacit knowledge.

Thus, a questionnaire survey of all the attending

students regarding the degree of difficulty of the

experimental procedures was conducted. Six

students answered OP3-2 and three students an-

swered OP2 as the most difficult procedure.

As stated above, it was hardly possible to

express the teachers’ tacit knowledge by only

recording their operation. So, the author try to

analyze the teachers’ tacit knowledge for some

steps, especially OP2 and OP3-2, referring to a

method called “Skill Analysis Methods for

Training” (Mori 2005) which had been intro-

duced in industrial circles. This method indi-

cates the following: (1) all the operations by an

expert teacher, who has the tacit knowledge on

such life science experiments, are recorded on

video, (2) while watching the recorded perform-

ance together, his tacit knowledge is possibly

extracted by an interview, and then (3) his tacit

knowledge is expressed by using numeric repre-

sentation and images. Interviewing has been

considered to be very effective in accessing

teacher’s practical knowledge, which is often

tacit and implicit, because they do not incline to

articulate their practical knowledge (Meijer et al.

1999, Zanting et al. 2003). Interviewing may

be effective to extract the specific knack for a

particular step in life science experiments. Thus,

in this study, the author tried to extract the teach-

ers’ tacit knowledge by interviewing. Then, by

using the above method, the author made the

teachers’ tacit knowledge into transmittable

forms, such as shown in Figure 1, and assembled

them into a lab guiding tool, as shown in Figures


Asian Journal of Biology E

Figure 1 The still pic

Figure 2 The instru3-2 in the new

2. Figure 1 shows a still picture that shows the

proper angles between the razor blade and

specimen and the forceps and specimen. Figure

2 shows a part of the new lab guiding tool, which

contains the experimental procedures, some still

pictures, and a built-in movie on OP3-2. This

part shows how to identify salivary gland for

separating it from the entrails, based on the fact

that salivary gland is transparent, while the rest

(e.g., entrails) is translucent or opaque.

The new lab guiding tool was developed for

use on a tablet PC, because the tablet PC is easy

to use in playing back images, has good op-

erabilities, and occupies a minimal space on the

lab bench.

The subject of study

Sixty-seven second-year students of an up-

per secondary school were involved in the im-

plementation of the new lab guiding tool. The

subject students were divided into two groups: a

control group and an experimental group. The

similarity of the subject students in the control

and experimental groups was given careful con-

sideration. The 35 students in the control group

were divided into five subgroups and the 32 stu-

dents in the experimental group into four.

The students in the control group used an

ordinary lab instruction, a print, which had been

used for this student lab so far. The print con-

tained the experimental procedures and some still

pictures. The students in the experimental

group used the new lab guiding tool.

Verification process

The following factors were investigated to

verify the benefits of the new lab guiding tool on

learning: (1) the number of successful students,

(2) the time required to complete the whole task

(“Total time”), (3) the time required to read or

watch the lab instruction or the new lab guiding

tool (“Manual time”), (4) the time required to

complete the whole operation steps (“Operation

time”), and (5) the number of discarded speci-

mens.

The verification process is as follows: the

students all seated and started the experiment

simultaneously. The availability of apparatus

(e.g., the number of forceps) was the same in the

control and experimental groups. Though the

both groups performed the task in the same room,

any conversation and the exchange of informa-

tion between them were forbidden. The stu-

dents were asked to declare the completion of the

whole task. Each of the students could use

specimens up to 10 and had to submit three com-

plete preparations. They performed all opera-

tions by themselves. Teachers did not answer

any question concerning the operations for

preparation.

The time needed to complete the whole task

had been estimated 30 minutes. The operations

performed by each student were recorded by

ture of operation step 2

ctions of operation step

ducation Vol. 7 (2013) 17

lab guiding tool video cameras. The time required for the op-



erations was measured with stopwatches. The

video recordings could provide such data as the

number of times the movies were viewed and the

number of specimens used by each student.

The preparations that were submitted by

each student were numbered from 1 to 3 (1st

Preparation, 2nd Preparation, and 3rd Prepara-

tion), in the order of submission. For each

submission, teachers examined whether the

preparation was successful. At the end of the

class, both submitted and discarded specimens

were counted.

Results

The students, whose full operations could

not be recorded on video, who abandoned the

experiment, who used more than 10 specimens,

who were unable to submit three preparations, or

who did not follow the instructions, were

dropped from the roster. As a result, the num-

ber of students in the two groups went down to

both 28.

Comparison of the number of successful prepa-

rations

Table 3 shows a comparison of the number

of successful preparations between the two

groups. The number of successful preparations

was larger in the experimental group than in the

control group, i.e., the chi-square test (df = 1) for

the difference in the number of successful prepa-

rations showed the existence of a significant dif-

ference (p < 0.01) between the two groups.

Table 3 Comparison of the number of successful preparations

** P < 0.01

Comparison of the number of successful stu-

dents

Figure 3 presents a comparison of the num-

ber of successful students on each submission of

preparation. Significant differences between

the control group and the experimental group

were observed in the number of successful stu-

dents of the 2nd Preparation (p < 0.05) and the

3rd Preparation (p < 0.01). This result indicates

that the new lab guiding tool used by the experi-

mental group increased the proportion of suc-

cessful students.

Figure 3 Comparison of the number of successful students



Figure 4 Comparison of the “Total time” of the two groups

Figure 5 Changes in the “Manual time” of the two groups

Comparison of the “Total time”

The “Total time”, “Manual time” and “Op-

eration time” of the both groups were compared

(Figure 4). The Mann-Whitney test for the

“Total time” between the two groups (1290 sec

and 1383 sec) did not show a significant differ-

ence. On the other hand, the chi-square test (df

= 1) for the difference in the ratio of “Manual

time” to “Operation time” between the two

groups showed the existence of a significant dif-

ference (p < 0.01).

Changes in “Manual time”

The “Manual time” for completing each

preparation was measured, averaged, and used in

the subsequent analysis (Figure 5).

This result indicates that the “Manual time”

decreased in the two groups as the experiment

progressed. The Mann-Whitney test for the

“Manual time” between the two groups yielded a

significant difference (p < 0.01) for the 1st

Preparation (32 sec and 107 sec). In the early

steps, “Manual time” was much longer in the

experimental group than in the control group.

However, no significant difference between the

two groups came to exist as the experiment pro-

gressed. This may mean that it took time for

the students in the experimental group at first to

select the requisite information from the lab



guiding tool because they had a difficulty in de-

termining which information was relevant to the

task in dealing with and important in completing

the task.

Changes in “Operation time”

The “Operation time” for each submitted

preparation in the two groups was measured, av-

eraged, and used in the subsequent analysis (Fig-

ure 6). The “Operation time” for the 1st Prepa-

ration in the experimental group (249 sec) was

longer than that in the control group (185 sec).

The Mann-Whitney test revealed that the differ-

ence (between the two groups) was significant (p

< 0.01). As the experiment progressed, the

“Operation time” in the control group did not get

shorter markedly (the 1st Preparation: 185 sec;

the 3rd Preparation: 181 sec), while that in the

experimental group seemed to decrease appar-

ently (the 1st Preparation: 249 sec; the 3rd Prepa-

ration: 185 sec). The Wilcoxon test for the

“Operation time” between the 1st Preparation

(249 sec) and the 3rd Preparation (185 sec) in the

experimental group showed the existence of a

significant difference (p < 0.01). This indicates

that there was a difference in the “Operation

time” of the two groups only in the early stage of

the experiment.

Figure 6 Changes in the “Operation time” of the two groups

Figure 7 Comparison of the time required for each operation step

In order to clarify the reason for the differ-

ence in the “Operation time” in the early stage,

the author compared the duration of each opera-

tion (from OP1 to OP4) required for submitting



the 1st Preparation and the 3rd Preparation of the

both groups (Figure 7). The Wilcoxon test was

performed to examine the difference in the time

of the two groups. There was a significant dif-

ference (at the 1% significance level) in the time

required for OP3-2 between the 1st Preparation

and the 3rd Preparation in the experimental

group. The time required for OP3-2, “Separa-

tion of salivary gland from entrails,” decreased in

the experimental group as the experiment pro-

gressed. This result indicates that through

viewing of the movies the students obtained

teachers’ tacit knowledge needed for the separa-

tion of salivary gland.

Table 4 Comparison of the number of discarded specimens

** P < 0.01

Comparison of the number of discarded speci-

mens

Table 4 shows a comparison of the number

of discarded specimens between the two groups.

The number of discarded specimens was less in

the experimental group, and the chi-square test

(df = 1) showed the difference was significant (p

< 0.01). The result indicates that the lab guid-

ing tool used by the experimental group might

contribute to the reduction in the number of dis-

carded specimens.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

By analyzing the descriptions of “Observa-

tion of mitosis in onion root tip cells” in text-

books and teaching plans in Study I, it was con-

firmed that experiments conducted in lower and

upper secondary school science classes in Japan

were teacher-led, and the lab instructions that had

been used focused on the explanation of experi-

mental procedures and included almost no tacit

knowledge, such as knack. Teachers’ knowl-

edge is tacit rather than explicit, and personal

rather than collective (Robertson 2005). More-

over, the teachers, who have tacit knowledge, are

apt to protect their intellectual property (Zhang

2008). It may be difficult for such teachers to

realize the significance of their tacit knowledge

and to turn it into explicit knowledge by them-

selves, because these teachers often perform their

instructions without any consciousness.

As a result of this analysis, it appeared that

an environment supporting students in recon-

firming the teacher’s instructions had not been

established. With the development of informa-

tion technology and computers, interactive mov-

ies that are watched on PCs can provide students

with support for their deeper comprehension,

because students can review the important in-

formation that they have missed (Merkt and

Schwan 2013, 2014). Movies can be one of the

valuable sources of information for students in

biology education (Smith and Reiser 2005).

But as a result of the author’s preliminary im-

plementation, it was confirmed that the movies in

which mainly the operation procedures were

shown could not have any effects on the students’

performance; these images might not include

sufficient teachers’ tacit knowledge even if stu-

dents could reconfirm the movies. The results

revealed that the teachers’ tacit knowledge was

hardly possible to transfer to students by only

showing their operations in life science experi-

ments that required the specific knack.



The lab guiding tool developed in Study II

possibly provided the teachers’ tacit knowledge

to students, because it improved the success rate

and reduced the number of discarded specimens.

The high success rate in the experimental group

was due to good ideas generated on the basis of

information that students had obtained by recon-

firming the images that included the teachers’

tacit knowledge. In addition, the reduction in

the number of discarded specimens was due to

the decrease in both the waste of motion and the

failure in student performance. These results

reveal that, for improving the students’ perform-

ance in life science experiments, it needs not

only to assemble the still pictures and movies

into a lab instructional tool, but also to combine

it with teachers’ tacit knowledge extracted by

interviewing.

It is found that the lab guiding tool required

more time for reading the print, looking at still

pictures, and watching movies in the early trials,

so that it did not decrease the “Total time”.

However, this result can be interpreted as show-

ing that the students were not busy with the op-

erations, but instead performed the task by

thinking by themselves with referring to the lab

guiding tool. Their efforts toward the acquisi-

tion of teachers’ tacit knowledge bore fruit in the

latter trials, so that the “Total time” of two

groups was almost the same.

CONCLUSIONS

The author can conclude that if students

would be given a lab guiding tool that possibly

provided them with the teachers’ tacit knowledge,

they could perform their experiment better.

The essence of science education is to foster

the capability of students to develop an interest in

natural phenomena and pursue them scientifi-

cally through their own successful experiences in

experiments. This entails the learning of the

methods of scientific inquiry. Thanks to the lab

guiding tool that provides teachers’ tacit knowl-

edge, a further step can be taken toward such

ideal education. In other studies, the author will

examine the functions of the lab guiding tool in

life science education, the methods of enhancing

and maintaining students’ interest in experiments,

and the functions of a tablet PC and moving pic-

tures required for the lab guiding tool.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Prof. Kazuo Watanabe

(University of Tsukuba), Dr. Kazuo Mori (Labo-

ratory of Skill & Technology Education), Prof.

Masayuki Sato (Shibaura Institute of Technol-

ogy), Prof. Mitoshi Nishimura (Seitoku Univer-

sity), Mr. Shigeru Sugasawa (Shibaura Institute

of Technology Senior High School). This re-

search was approved on the ethics aspect under

the Shibaura Institute of Technology Senior High

School. This work was conducted in part at the

Plant Transgenic Design Research Center within

the Gene Research Center, with Graduate School

of Life Environmental Sciences, University of

Tsukuba, Japan.

Notes1), 2) Knowledge has been considered to divide into

two types: one is explicit knowledge, which is

easily determined through texts, and the other is

tacit knowledge, such as knack, which is defined

as “knowledge that is hard to express and transfer

to the other.” Tacit knowledge is though to be

acquired through experience, and can be classi-

fied into a wide variety of types (Polanyi 1958,

1966, Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995, Spear and

Bowen 1999, Leonard and Swap 2005, Mori

2005).

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“Meet a Microbiologist” program dela Cruz et al.


Practical Note

“Meet a Microbiologist” (MAM) Program: A Teaching Strategy for

Motivating Undergraduate Microbiology Students

Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz1)*, Ma. Victoria B. Pangilinan1), Nikki Heherson A. Dagamac1),

Jeremy Martin O. Torres2), Krystle Angelique A. Santiago3), Sittie Aisha B. Macabago4)

1)University of Santo Tomas, 2)Ateneo de Manila University, 3)Asia Brewery Inc.,4)Far Eastern University

(Received: 13 January 2013; accepted: 31 May 2013)

This practical note introduces a teaching strategy that can be employed in undergraduate

microbiology classes. Results and evaluation of this activity implemented in three universities

in the Philippines are presented in this paper.

Keywords: learning activity, lecture, microbiologists, student perception, teaching strategy

*Author for correspondence: Department of Biological Science, College of Science, University ofSanto Tomas; España 1015 Manila, Philippines. e-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Teaching microbiology is a challenge for

many teachers of undergraduate biology or

microbiology courses. Motivating students to

learn microbiology and/or pursue research or a

career in microbiology is equally challenging.

With many distractions from the cyberworld, it

is important for those handling microbiology

courses to find ways to motivate their students

to learn more about the subject matter.

Teachers of microbiology often develop sev-

eral teaching strategies aimed in making our

lectures more lively, fun, and appealing to our

students.

Some of the active learning activities of-

ten employed in classes are games, skit-writing,

and role playing as exemplified by the “Gen-

eral Hospital” assignment (Dolberry 2011),

conducting laboratory experiments or research

projects (Kaga and Arai 2004, Jacinto et al.

2011, Rios-Velazquez et al. 2011), writing es-

says or reflection papers, and facilitating group

discussion during lectures or role-based panel

discussion aimed in teaching the principles and

socio-economic impacts of a particular topic in

microbiology (Vrabl and Vrabl 2012).

Curricula or programs are also developed

that prepare students for the needs of the in-

dustry (Hamilton et al. 2012) or that immerse

students in current issues, e.g. in public health

(Ascencio 2012).

Sato et al. (2004) also developed tech-

nologies that can be applied in classrooms or in

the field.

Equally important are learning activities

aimed not only to disseminate information or

knowledge but also to motivate students. For

example, the Undergraduate Teaching Assis-

tant (UTA) Experience program which Schalk

et al. (2009) developed provided students with

mailto:[email protected]



microbiology knowledge and laboratory skills,

and enhanced their communication and lead-

ership abilities needed to be successful in ca-

reers in science. Davis et al. (2012) used we-

binar technology which allows interaction be-

tween students and invited guests from distant

institutions and also enhance the analytical

skills of the students. Baynham (2010) also

suggested the idea to host scientists in our

classrooms. The invited scientists talked

about paths they took that led to their present

career. They could also provide a more per-

sonal view of why they loved science. Students

who attend these talks appreciate the speakers

and looked forward to life after college.

To update our students with recent trends

and developments in science, it is also effec-

tive to invite guest researchers, well-renowned

scientists, or distinguished professors to talk

about their researches or simply present the

latest trends in science. However, these de-

livered lectures tend to be conducted in a more

formal setting, i.e. in our huge lecture halls or

large auditoria where many students can be

accommodated. In this paper, we present an

alternative approach, the Meet a Microbiolo-

gist (MAM) program, in disseminating infor-

mation and inspiring students through a pool of

guest lecturers who can be invited to talk in a

classroom setting.

PROCEDURE

Step 1: Identify and invite potential members of

the lecture pool

For this purpose, three or four teachers of

microbiology from different universities can

meet at the beginning of the semester to plan the

MAM program. It is noteworthy to invite col-

leagues from nearby universities or from univer-

sities within the same city. This is to ensure

that invited guest lecturers will not have diffi-

culty travelling to the host university. Net-

working is essential to come up with a list of

potential guest lecturers. Cooperation between

the invited guest lecturers is crucial to the suc-

cess of this teaching program.

Step 2: Meet with the invited guest lecturers of

the MAM program

Plan with them the topic each of the guest

lecturers will teach in the respective host classes.

Each guest lecturer will deliver one lecture to

each of the different host classes at different

universities. The topics can be a lecture unit or

chapter in the course syllabus, any topics related

to the course units, or current or previous re-

searches by the lecturer. Personnel from the

industrial sector can also be invited to give a talk.

Examples of topics include “culture collection as

repository of microbial strains” delivered to stu-

dents taking an industrial microbiology course,

or “taxonomy and ecology of myxomycetes”

shared to students of mycology. An invited

lecturer from the brewing industry talked on “the

magic in brewing: tap into the art and science of

beer” delivered to students of industrial micro-

biology and mycology. Invited lecturers also

shared their career path. In this paper, the au-

thors from different universities (Ateneo de Ma-

nila University - ADMU, Far Eastern University

- FEU, and University of Santo Tomas - UST)

and from the brewing industry (Asia Brewery)

served as the guest lecturers and/or host profes-

sors.

Step 3: Deliver the lecture in the host class

Each lecture can last for 30-40 minutes.

The lecture is followed by an open-forum ini-

tiated by the supervising instructor. During

the open-forum, students freely ask questions

regarding the topic talked or any other related

topics. Students are also free to ask about the

work experiences of the invited lecturer. The

lecture is delivered in an informal classroom



Figure 1 A guest lecturer from one universitydelivered a lecture on a specified topic

setting and attended only by students of the

class (Fig. 1). No administrators or other

faculty members are invited to the lecture to

make the atmosphere of the lecture less formal

for the participating students. Only the

teacher in charge of the class is present to

facilitate the activity.

Step 4: Assess the activity

An evaluation form is accomplished by

the students to assess whether the activity

would be effective. The students are in-

formed about conducting the post-survey prior

to the lecture. Consents to the survey are

given by the students prior to the learning ac-

tivity. No points on grades are given to stu-

dents for their answers to these evaluation

forms.

EVALUATION OF THE CLASS ACTIVITY

In this paper, three cases where 32

sophomore students of B.Sc. Microbiology

(UST), 26 junior students of B.Sc. Biology

(FEU), and 25 junior and senior students of

B.Sc. Life Sciences and B.Sc. Biology

(ADMU) participated in this learning activity

are reported. Ages of students were between

16 – 20 years old. Five key questions in the

evaluation form were answered by the students

as positive [yes], negative [no], or no change in

perception [same as before] (Fig. 2). The

answer to these questions were then tallied up

and presented in Figure 3.

Data analysis of the students’ perception

survey (Fig. 3) showed that 80% of the stu-

dents appreciated more the role of microorgan-

isms after the lectures. About 68% were mo-

tivated to do research in microbiology while

56% changed their viewpoint about microbes.

The highest percentage approval (83%) by the

students was on their motivation to learn more

about microbes. Sixty-three percent of the

students indicated that they want to pursue a

career in microbiology and other related fields.

From these students’ perceptions, it can be

concluded that the MAM program offers an

alternative teaching strategy that can motivate

students to learn more about microorganisms

and microbiology.

Teaching microbiology and inspiring stu-

dents to pursue a career in microbiology are

equally challenging for many undergraduate

teachers. Educators have developed a variety

of teaching strategies and learning activities,

e.g. hosting scientists, inviting students to at-

tend symposia or conferences, facilitating in-

ternships or the on-the-job trainings, etc.

Schalk et al. (2009) in their detailed study of

their UTA Experience program highlighted the

importance of such immersion activities.

Undergraduates participating in UTA Experi-

ence program gained benefits similar to those

the student interns in research institutions

gained. The UTA Experience program also

provided opportunities for participating under-

graduates to work closely with a faculty mem-

ber in developing skills valuable to their future

professional careers (Schalk et al. 2009).

The MAM program brought together lec-


28

turers

teachin

studen

from t

ences

more,

interac

more a

gram a

often g

thus, r

the lec

vited t

studen

teachin

School _______________________________

Course _______________________________ Year Level _________________

Evaluation of Class Activity: Meet a Microbiologist Program

Instructions: Kindly evaluate the activity and answer the survey questions below. Note that no points will be

added to your grades in completing this survey. Participation in this survey is voluntary. The purpose of this

survey is to assess the usefulness of the activity in teaching microbiology and motivating students.

Encircle your choices.

After listening to the talk, did the lecture help you

1. change your perception of microorganisms? YES Same as Before NO

2. appreciate more the role microorganisms play in nature? YES Same as Before NO

3. motivate you to learn more about microorganisms? YES Same as Before NO

4. motivate you to do research in microbiology? YES Same as Before NO

5. motivate you to pursue career in microbiology or related field? YES Same as Before NO

Any comments or suggestions on the class activity?

Asian Journal of Biology Education Vol. 7 (2013)

Figure 2 Evaluation form accomplished by the participating undergraduate students

from different institutions to aid in

g certain topics in microbiology. The

t participants of this program benefited

he different teaching styles and experi-

of the invited guest lecturers. Further-

the MAM program allowed students to

t with their guest lecturers and to learn

bout their career path. The MAM pro-

voids the formality of a lecture-seminar

iven in a lecture hall or auditorium, and

enders the students to be at ease during

ture. Since different teachers are in-

o give different lectures in a class, the

ts also benefited from the different

g styles and experiences of the lecturers.

A lecturer from the industry can also provide a

different perspective or approach to the topic.

Baynham (2010) noted a positive impact on

student’s career considerations when several

speakers were invited to talk to a class in per-

son or via videoconference or videotaped

self-interview. Students who attended these

activities commented how happy they were to

hear what life is really like after college and to

hear more about the scientists as human beings.

Similar feedbacks were also noted following

the MAM program.

ALTERNATIVE TEACHING ACTIVITY:

Interview a Microbiologist (IAM)



0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

changedperception onmicrooganisms

appreciated morethe role of

microoganisms

motivated to learnmore about

microorganisms

motivated to doresearch in

microbiology

motivated topursue career inmicrobiology and

related fields

YES

No Change

n = 83

Figure 3 Percentage of the students’responses to the five perception survey questions

A variation of the MAM program, the “In-

terview a Microbiologist” or IAM program can

be an alternative to the teaching activity pre-

sented in this paper. In this IAM program,

students are tasked to interview a microbiologist

and learn more about the microbiologist’s re-

searches, motivations and goals, and road to

success. Prior to the interview, students will

prepare 10 questions they will ask. The teacher

or instructor of the class can then facilitate the

meeting of the students with an appropriate mi-

crobiologist from another university, research

institution, or industry. Students may record or

videotape the interview with permission from

the interviewee. Students can then present

orally their experiences to the class or write re-

flection papers. This variation of the MAM

teaching activity can also inspire students to

learn more about microorganisms and motivate

the students to pursue a research or even a career

in microbiology.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Our gratitude goes to our Department chairs,

Prof. Alicia Ely J. Pagulayan (UST), Prof.

Cynthia B. Mintu (FEU), and Dr. Merab A.

Chan (ADMU), and to Ms. Ma. Theresa R.

Patalinghug (Asia Brewery) for allowing us to

conduct this program.

REFERENCES

Ascencio, T. (2012) Development of a commu-

nity-oriented parasitological survey as a

teaching strategy for medical students.

Journal of Microbiology and Biology Edu-

cation 13(1): 78-79.

Baynham, P. J. (2010) Want to inspire science

students to consider a research career? Host

a scientist in your classroom. Journal of

Microbiology and Biology Education 11(1):

62-63.

Davis, B. D., Flannery, M. and Payne, J. S.

(2012) A webinar case study by a clinical

microbiologist to microbiology and physi-



ology students: an integrative learning ex-

perience. Journal of Microbiology and

Biology Education 13(1): 91-93.

Dolberry, A. A. (2011) “General Hospital”: using

skit-writing and role-playing to teach

pathogenesis. Journal of Microbiology

and Biology Education 12(1): 38-41.

Hamilton, P. T., Luginbuhl, S. C. and Hyman, M.

(2012) Preparing science-trained profes-

sionals for the biotechnology industry: a

ten-year perspective on a professional sci-

ence master’s program. Journal of Mi-

crobiology and Biology Education 13(1):

39-44.

Jacinto, S. D., Ramos, E. F., Siguan, A. P. T. and

Canoy, R. J. C. (2011) Determining the an-

tioxidant property of plant extracts: a labo-

ratory exercise. Asian Journal of Biology

Education 5: 22-25.

Kaga, T. and Arai, M. (2004) Development of an

inquiry laboratory experiment for upper

secondary school biology - A simple

preparation method for Bacillus natto cells

from a traditional Japanese food “Natto”

for gram staining and DNA Extraction.

Asian Journal of Biology Education 2:

19-24.

Rios-Velazquez, C., Williamson, L. L.,

Cloud-Hansen, K. A., Allen, H. K.,

McMahon, M. D., Sabree, Z. L., Donato, J.

J. and Handelsman, J. (2011) Summer

workshop in metagenomics: one week plus

eight students equals gigabases of cloned

DNA. Journal of Microbiology and Biol-

ogy Education 12(2): 120-126.

Sato, T., Ohshika, K. and Ikeda, H. (2004) De-

velopment of teaching material using a

cellphone to connect to the internet - For

collecting liverworts to use them for obser-

vation activities in the classroom and in the

field. Asian Journal of Biology Education

2:58-64.

Schalk, K. A., McGinnis, J. R., Harring, J. R.,

Hendrickson, A. and Smith, A. C. (2009)

The undergraduate teaching assistant ex-

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discussions to teach socio-economic con-

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cation 13(1): 54-56.

Abstracts of the Papers Presented at the AABE24


Figure 1 Attendants assembling in front of theconference venue.

Abstracts of the Papers Presented at

the 24th Biennial Conference of the AABE

The 24th Biennial Conference of the AABE was

held at University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon

City, Philippines, from 5th to 9th December, 2012.

The theme of the Conference was “The Century of

Biology: Towards Transformative Education.”

Nearly 150 people from ten countries including outside

of theAsian region attended (Figure 1).

There were five plenary lectures, four country re-

ports, 32 oral presentations and 34 poster presentations.

In addition, three workshops were presented.

The best presentation awards were given to the

following papers:

(Oral presentation)

Diong, C. H. & Oh, S. S. Importance of Parasite Di-

versity in the Understanding of Global Biodiversity.

Obusan, M. C. M. Where Dolphins Are.

(Poster presentation)

Yamanoi, T., Iwasaki, W. M., Takemura, M. & Sakura,

O. Origami Bird: A Teaching Material Linking Muta-

tion, Natural Selection and Speciation.

Chiga, S. & Ohshika, K. Development of Teaching

Material Using Owl Pellet of the Zoo.

The Book of the Abstracts of Papers presented at

this conference was published and provided to the at-

tendants of the conference. The following abstracts

are reprinted from the book.

<Plenary Lectures>

The Asian Biodiversity Crisis:The Other Crisis in Asia

Perry S. OngUniversity of the Philippines, Philippines

Asia is one of the most biodiversity rich regions in the

world. Six of the 17 megadiversity countries are

found in the region: the Philippines, China, India, Ma-

laysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, while nine

out of 34 biodiversity hotspots are fromAsia.

These six countries comprise nearly 40% of global

population, which exerts tremendous pressure to trans-

form these biodiversity resources into material wealth

that will lift their people out of poverty. The impact

of one of the drivers of biodiversity loss is being felt

across the region.

To illustrate this twin distinction of pride and grief, of

the 633 species of primates all over the world, about

54% are under various categories of threat. Of course,

the top 25 endangered primate species had been identi-

fied, of which nine species are from Asia: Vietnam =

five species, Indonesia = three species, and China =

one species. This means Asia is home to 36% of the

top 25 endangered primates in the world.

Thus, the loss of biodiversity and the need to conserve

this valuable resource is a common thread across the

region. One of the reasons for the loss is the low level

of awareness about the rich biodiversity the region

possesses. The role of education, in particular the

Asian Association for Biology Education (AABE),

cannot be over emphasized. While the Internet is a

powerful tool to assist in educating the general public,

we should ensure that science-based information is

communicated. The key message for all to dissemi-

nate is that “A healthy, living and thriving biodiversity

is the foundation of a sustainable future for Asia and

the rest of the world.”



Perry S. Ong, Ph.D., Institute of Biology, College of Science,UP-Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

From Gesselschaftlich to Gemeinschaft:What Does It Takes to Teach with and for

Meaning in Biology?

Allan B De GuzmanUniversity of Santo Tomas, Philippines

The changing landscape of today’s society brought

about by forces of consumerism, globalization, envi-

ronmental degradation, poverty, economic inequalities,

illiteracy, and poor health delivery services, among

others poses a challenge to basic and higher education

sectors to adopt a transformative pedagogy through

which learners are reunited with their environment in

the name of learning excellence and in the spirit of

genuine service. This emerging pedagogy puts pre-

mium on the reciprocal relationship between student

centrality and community instrumentality in developing

an authentic way of knowing (cognitive), an experien-

tial way of doing (conative) and a more reflective way

of responding (affective).

Anchored on Ballard’s triad of the change process,

which consists of (1) awareness of what is happening

and what is required; (2) agency or ability to find a

response that seems personally meaningful; and (3)

association with other people in groups and networks,

this paper is an attempt to couple service learning or

education in action and sustainability as a means to

pedagogize the existing teaching –learning paradigm in

today’s education system. As a multi-tiered pedagogy

that can be implemented at any level of education,

pre-school through graduate school, service learning

(SL) or community engaged teaching (CET) recog-

nizes and appreciates the value of the community as

responsive and effective partners in students’ learning

and maintains the centrality of students as active play-

ers and contributors to sustainable development. In

the final analysis, pedagogy of sustainability (PS) be-

comes a critical variable in defining not only the proac-

tiveness of today’s schools, colleges and universities

but more importantly as an effective compass in as-

serting education’s leadership presence and extraordi-

nariness toward the creation of a common future

through an integrated teaching, research and extension

service framework anchored on service learning.Allan B. De Guzman, Ph.D. [email protected]

Education Transformation andIntel STEM

Yvonne Garcia FloresIntel Philippines

Intel advocates the systemic approach to transforming

education, providing interventions that acknowledge

and address issues of the whole education environment:

Policy, Curriculum and Assessment, Professional De-

velopment, Research and Evaluation, and Information

and Communications Technology. This particular

presentation will showcase Intel’s latest education re-

sources specific to Science, Technology, Engineering

and Math (Intel STEM), such teacher professional de-

velopment, online tools and platforms.

Does Postmodern Ethics Have Anything toSay to the Sciences as Presently

Constituted?

Fr. Luis S. David, S.J.Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

The social sciences emerged in the 19th century, on

Michael Foucault’s account, in the confluence of two

orders of knowledge, one, traditional, going all the way

back to Plato and Aristotle, that decidedly was intuitive,

inductive, experiential, etc., and the other, springing

from the principal philosophies of modernity, including

those of Descartes, Rousseau, and Hobbes, which was

conjectural, speculative, suggestive of what Hannah

Arendt calls, “a science of prophecy.” The latter prac-

tice, which underservedly wraps itself around with the

mantle of scientific legitimacy borrowed from the for-

mer, arguably has led to totalitarianisms and genocidal

events. We face the challenge, therefore, of reinforc-

ing the claims of the former, and insisting that the letter,

when unavoidable, sooner rather than later receive

“traction” through its correlation with inductive work.

This requires that we “work on ourselves,” that in our

communities of scientific practice we remain grounded

in what is observable, intersubjective, etc., that our



work be understood as always “in process,” “in pro-

gress,” etc., subject to the A to Z of what is “political”

and therefore communitarian.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to BiologyEducation

Lourdes J. CruzUniversity of the Philippines, and President, National

Research Council of the Philippines, Philippines

Biology, the study of living organisms interfaces with

other disciplines of science. Understanding the struc-

ture, function, growth, origin, evolution and distribu-

tion of organisms requires application of the principles

of chemistry, physics, mathematics, geology and other

fields. An interdisciplinary approach is necessary for

the students to fully understand the principles of biol-

ogy and to learn how living organisms relate to the

physical and social world around us. Students must

be well equipped to face the problems that confront us

today such as food security, sustainability, and climate

change because these problems will become more se-

rious as we pass on the baton to the younger generation.

To illustrate how an interdisciplinary approach can be

used in biology education, aquaponics will be dis-

cussed as an example of the interplay of organisms in

an ecological system and the importance of chemical

and physical factors in sustainably maintaining the sys-

tem. The backyard aquaponics system has a great

potential as a means for poor families to regularly have

food on their table. If expanded, the system can be

used as an alternative means of livelihood.Lourdes J. Cruz, Ph.D., Marine Science Institute, UP-Diliman,Quezon City, Philippines

<Country Reports>

Biology Education in Australia

Anne M WallisDeakin University, Australia

An Australian national curriculum covering “Founda-

tion schooling”(preparatory year) through to Year 10

has recently been introduced into Australian schools.

Previously, each Australian states or territory had re-

sponsibility for school curricula, funding and overall

educational policy. States and territories still have

responsibility for the final two years of school years –

Years 11 and 12 which usually cover ages 16 to 18.

Science forms one of the 13 key learning areas in what

is now known as the Australian Curriculum. Each

learning area is based on seven generic capabilities

relating to Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Com-

munication Technology Capability, Critical and Crea-

tive Thinking, Ethical Behaviour, Personal and Social

Capability, and Intercultural Understanding, and three

cross-curriculum properties (Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander histories and cultures, Sustainability and

Asia, and Australia’s engagement with Asia). The 13

year Science curriculum has four strands –one of which

is Biological Science which covers evolution, ecology,

organism structure and function as well as considera-

tion of life’s major groups.

In my own State of Victoria, Year 11 and 12 are cov-

ered by a range of qualifications, the most popular of

which is the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

Students typically take English (compulsory) and four

other subjects in their final year. Biology is still the

most popular of the core sciences (and in 2011 was the

7th most popular subject), although its popularity is

stable as students seek more applied and focussed sub-

jects, such as Health and Human Development which

last year had over 1500 more enrolments and Psychol-

ogy had over 3000 more enrolments than Biology.

The VCE Biology Curriculum has been updated and

modified program of study will commence in 2013.

The four units to be taken (covering two years of Biol-

ogy study) are

Unit 1: Unity and Diversity

Unit 2: Organisms and Their Environment

Unit 3: Signatures of Life

Unit 4: Continuity and Change

The unit titles and most content is the same as that re-

ported by me in the 2008 Country Report, but assess-

ment has been changed to better reflect the expected

student outcomes.

In universities, Biology is still a popular and often core

component in science degrees. However, in many

applied degrees, science educators are becoming in-

creasingly concerned at the fragmentation of content

and learning in Biology, so that while graduates may

have detailed expertise in specific areas, they might



totally lack fundamental knowledge in others that pro-

vide the building blocks for the application of Biology

to areas such as health or environmental science. One

of the greatest challenges for educators today will be

the transition of Cloud Learning.Dr. Anne M. Wallis, School of Life and Sciences, Deakin Uni-versity, Warrnambool, Vic. 3290, Australia

Biological Learning Contents for HighSchool Students in Textbooks According to

2009 National Science Curriculum of Korea

Kyoungho Kim1), Kew-Cheol Shim2)

1Gongju National University of Education, 2Kongju Na-tional University, South Korea

New national science curriculum of Korea was revised

in 2009. On the basis of that, new science textbooks

were developed for high school students. High school

science textbooks are Physics I, II, Chemistry I, II,

Biological Science I, II Earth Science I, II and Science,

which is so called ‘Fusing Science’ or ‘Convergence

Science.’ Objectives of them consist of four domains

regarding as cognitive, inquiry, affective, and STS ones.

High school students have to select and learn some

subjects for more than 15 credits. Science of the 2009

revised curriculum has two unites related to biological

sciences such as ‘Evolution of Life’ and ‘Human

Health and Technology.’ Biological Science I has

‘Understanding of Biological Sciences,’ ‘Cell and Con-

tinuity of Lives,’ ‘Homeostasis and Health,’ and ‘Hu-

man in the Nature.’ Biological Science II has ‘Cell

and Metabolism,’ ‘Gene and Bioengineering,’ and

‘Evolution of Organisms.’Professor Kyoungho Kim, [email protected]; ProfessorKew-Cheol Shim, [email protected]

New Biology Education in Japan:Characteristics of the New Course of Studyand New Program for Biology Teachers in

Japan

Ohshika KiyoyukiAichi University of Education, Japan

The New Science Curriculum which based on the re-

vised Course of Study prescribed by the ministry of

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in

2008 and 2009 had started in all school levels from

elementary to senior high school in Japan. The New

Science Curriculum focuses on the systematical forma-

tion and enrichment of scientific contents, in-

quiry-based activities with emphasis on experimenta-

tions and observation, and real life experience.

However, there are some problems in carrying out bi-

ology education under the New Science Curriculum.

For example, time is considered as a limiting factor for

teachers to teach biology contents which it require. In

the New Science Curriculum, time element is so short

to teach the subject matter. Most of the young teach-

ers have not enough confidences to teach biological

content knowledge, conduct classroom experiments

and outdoor experiences because of their background

in the former biology curriculum during their bacca-

laureate courses and they had little exposure to bio-

logical content knowledge and pedagogical skills.

Furthermore, the New Biology Curriculum adds some

new contents at each school level. For example, the

topics on invertebrates, non–vascular plants and evolu-

tion were transferred to junior high school biology;

DNA and genetic engineering were added. Therefore,

it is suggested to develop and formulate many pro-

grams for teachers and students in biology education.

All teachers were required to take workshops or lec-

tures in 30 hours to update their own teacher certifica-

tion every ten years.

To support science classes, there are special lectures

offered through the Science Partnership Program and

Super Science High School Program that support

schools and universities or specialists in science. This

undertaking will lead to the development of the newest

and creative biology education in Japan through these

policies and programs.Dr. Kiyoyuki Ohoshika, Aich University of Education, Hi-rosawa 1, Igaya-cho, Kariya, Aich 448-8542, Japan

<Oral presentations>

Where Dolphins Are

Marie Christine Merca ObusanUniversity of the Philippines, Philippines

Space use models were developed for spinner dolphins

(Stenellalongirostris) in Tañon Strait, Philippines.



Home ranges were generated based on kernel density,

minimum convex polygon, Jennrich- Turner primary

axis, site fidelity test, and spider analysis using the

Animal Movement Program (version 2) as an exten-

sion of Arcview. Analyses of developed models

validated the need to consider seasonal patterns in de-

signing management strategies for the conservation and

protection of the cetacean species in site. The spatial

and temporal information provided can serve as basis

for associating the dynamics between dolphin survival

and human activities such as local fishing and tourism.Prof. Marie Christine Merca Obusan, Institute of Environ-mental Science and Meteorology, College of Science,UP-Diliman, Quezon City; Philippine Science High School -Bicol Region Campus, Goa, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Multipla-loci cpDNA Cladistic FrameworksReveal Polyphyly of Antirhea Juss(Guettardeae-Rubiaceae) and a

Circumscription of a New PhilippineEndemic

Jayson ChavezFar Eastern University, Philippines

In the last comprehensive synopsis of the paleotropical

Antirhea Juss., the genus which distribution is highly

concentrated in the Philippines is divided into three

subgenera: Antirhea, Guettardella and Mesocarpa; a

classification proposed primarily based on classical

taxonomy and up until now, is a subject of disputes

among systematics. For the present study, a molecu-

lar phylogeny of the genus was constructed for the first

time with the following objectives: (1) test the mono-

phyly of Antirhea and its relationships to related genera,

(2) evaluate the subgenera of Antirhea proposed by

Chaw and Darwin, and (3) determine the identity of an

unusual Antirhea species collected during the recent

botanical expedition of the Thomasian Angiosperm

Phylogeny and Barcoding Group (TAPBG). Se-

quences of two plasmid markers (rps16 and trnL-F)

were analyzed separately as well as combined using

parsimony (MP) and Bayesian (BI) approaches. Our

results highly support the polyphyly of Antirhea as

currently circumscribed, but further support the mono-

phyly of Antirhea subgenus Guettardella. Such in-

ferences reveal disparities with the phonetic classifica-

tion of the genus. Extensive investigations on Antir-

hea, which involve a wide-ranging survey (e.g., denser

taxon sampling, thorough morphological examinations,

and cladistic analyses of DNA markers with high evo-

lutionary rate) are currently ongoing to delimit its

taxonomic boundaries. In addition, based on herbar-

ium and field study, the atypical Antirhea species is

treated as a new endemic species: A. acuminate Di-

matatac, Chavez & Alejandro, which is proposed here.

Some Easy and Effective Microtechniquesfor Morpho-anatomical Characterization ofPlants: An Essential Tool in Transformative

Learning

Vivian S. Tolentino, Jan Lorie M. RobilAteneo de Manila University,Philippines

Morphology and anatomy are indispensable aspects

that are employed to study and extensively characterize

our flora and fauna. It is an essential tool for docu-

mentation of plant species, especially those which are

newly discovered or understudied, as it gives relevant

information about their physiology, ecology and life

history. Thus, knowledge in microtechniques is in-

dispensable for both researchers and educators of plant

biology. However, tools and special equipment for

microtechniques are not always readily available.

Expensive microtomes that are used for cutting thin

tissue sections are not always available especially in

schools in rural areas. In this paper, easy and effective

microtechniques are discussed, using two Philippine

indigenous plant species, Medinillamagnifica (chande-

lier plant) and Strongylodonmacrobotrys (jade vine) as

models. This paper aims to give information on how

to process plant tissue sections without the use of ex-

pensive cutting equipment, so as to practically aid re-

searchers and educators in their study of indigenous

plants. Free-hand sectioning method was used for the

vegetative structures of both specimens. Prior to cut-

ting, the speciments have undergone fixation in forma-

lin-acetic acid-alcohol (FAA). Portions of leaves and

stems were sectioned manually using razor blades to

produce very thin sections of tissues. These sections

were then subjected to series of dehydration using ethyl

alcohol (30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100% EtOH).



The sections were then stained and counterstained us-

ing Safranin and Fast Green, respectively. The tissues

were washed with water and were destained in 70%

EtOH and were subjected to series of cleaning using

xylene (30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100% xylene).

Finally, the cleared sections were mounted in glass

slides. The whole procedure which took only about

an hour produced mounted tissue sections which can be

used for characterization of ground and vascular tissue

structures of vegetative organs of the specimens. This

easy and rapid tissue processing is an essential tool for

teaching biology and research, hence making the labo-

ratory activities more enjoyable and fun.Prof. Vivian S. Tolentino, Department of Biology, School ofScience and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, LoyolaHights, Quezon City 1108, Philippines

The Importance of UnderstandingRelationships among Biological Species

Using a Phylogenetic Tree

Grecebio Jonathan AlejandroUniversity of Santo Tomas, Philippines

A phylogenetic tree (also known as evolutionary tree or

a cladogram) is a branching diagram depicting the rela-

tionships and affiliations among biological species.

The taxa included to build a “tree” are joined together

based on either morphological features or genetic

characteristics or combination of the two. The result-

ing tree reflects that the taxa have descended from a

common ancestor. The arrangement of biological

species in a phylogenetic tree is easier for the students

to understand and interpret relationships. In this lec-

ture, an introduction to phylogenetics will be presented.

The concept of groupings approaches terminologies

and methodologies in phylogenetics will be outlined.

The usefulness of molecular data in phylogenetics will

be discussed using examples from the studies done by

the Thomasian Angiosperm Phylogeny and Barcoding

Group (TAPBG).Dr. Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro, College of Science and Re-search Centre for the Natural and Applied Sciences, ThomasAquinas Research Complex, University of Santo Tomas, Phil-ippines

Compliance Status to CHED Policies andStandards on Teacher Education andInstitutional Performance of TeacherEducation Institutions in Region IX

Mario Rojas Obra, Jr., Carmelita M. FelisildaWestern Mindanao State University, Philippines

This study purported to create an accurate picture of the

teacher education discipline in the light of CHED Poli-

cies and Standards on Teacher Education and bring to

the fore the institutional performance of Teacher Edu-

cation Institutions (TEIs) in Region IX. Specifically,

the study endeavored to answer the following research

questions: (1) What is the compliance status of TEIs in

Region IX to CHED Policies and Standards, in terms

of program administration-dean, faculty, physical fa-

cilities, laboratory facilities, research, admission and

retention, library holdings, voluntary accreditation,

curriculum, and instructional standards; (2) Is there a

significant difference in the compliance status of TEIs

in Region IX to CHED Policies and Standards when

data are grouped according to type of TEIs (public or

private); (3) What is the institutional performance of

TEIs in Region IX in terms of passing percentage in

Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET) for ele-

mentary and secondary levels and frequency in landing

among the Top Ten schools in LET; (4) Is there a sig-

nificant difference in the institutional performance to

TEIs in Region IX when data are grouped according to

type of TEIs (public or private).

When data are grouped according to type of TEIs, it

was hypothesized that (1) there is a significant differ-

ence in the compliance status of TEIs in Region IX to

CHED Policies and Standards in terms of the ten given

areas of academic operations and (2) there is a signifi-

cant difference in the institutional performance of TEIs

in Region IX in terms of the passing percentage in

LET.

The study employed descriptive research design and

used qualitative and quantitative approach in answering

the set of research questions. Such process was fa-

cilitated with the use of a researcher-made interview

schedule/guide which helped generate data inputs from

the responses/interview proceedings made to 71 pur-

posively selected middle level administrators, faculty

and staff coming from the ten participating TEIs in



Region IX. Proceedings from actual interview,

analyses of documentary evidences and data-output

from statistical tools used revealed the following find-

ings: TEIs in Region IX showed full compliance on six

academic operations of CHED Policies and Standards:

administration-dean (2.7), faculty (2.4), physical facili-

ties (2.76), admission and retention (2.4), curriculum

(3.0) and instructional standards (2.52), but manifested

partial compliance on four other academic operations,

to wit: laboratory facilities (1/95), research (1.95), li-

brary holdings (1.92) and voluntary accreditation (1.8).

Inferential findings of the study revealed higher group

men of public TEIs (2.55) relative to private TEIs

(2.26). Moreover, t-test analysis showed a probability

value of 0.72 greater than alpha level 0.05, that implies

no significant difference in the compliance status of

TEIs in Region IX to CHED Policies and Standards.

Latter finding showed that the type of school does not

influence the TEIs adherence to CHED Policies and

Standards. Both public and private TEIs have similar

compliance status to CHED Policies and Standards.

Moreover, the type of school does not influence the

institutional performance of TEIs in terms of passing

percentage in LET for elementary and secondary levels.

In addition, the performance standing of TEIs in Re-

gion IX commensurate national recognition as evi-

denced by its frequency in landing among the Top Ten

performing schools in LET for elementary and secon-

dary levels during the fiscal year 2008 and 2010. It is,

therefore, recommended for CHED Regional Office IX

to conduct periodic standard monitoring with a show of

report to feedback TEIs for self evaluation and im-

provement; and for school’s top management to foresee

enhancement of personal and professional competen-

cies of the faculty and improve the inadequacies of

school facilities, equipments, and library holdings,

while middle level management must do periodic re-

view of the curriculum to see subject offerings appro-

priateness; improve the efficiency level of the faculty

along areas of research, extension and production; and

for other research enthusiasts to integrated TEI gradu-

ates employability as one of the independent variables

to get clearer and better picture of its institutional per-

formance.Prof. Mario Rojas Obra, Jr., College of Education, WesternMindanao State University, Zamboanga City, Philippines

Secondary Teachers and Pre-serviceTeachers’ Conceptual Understanding ofPhotosynthesis: A Cross Regional Study

Jocelyn D. Partosa1), Michael A. Clores2),Maria Aurora A. Conde2), Maricar S. Prudente3),

Lydia T. Goingo2), Arnulfo R. Reganit2)

1Ateneo de Zamboanga University, 2Ateneo de Naga Uni-versity, 3De La Salle University, Philippines

This study aimed to identify misconceptions that sec-

ondary in-service teachers and pre-service teachers

have of photosynthesis and compare their knowledge

structure of photosynthesis. The misconceptions of

in-service and pre-service secondary teachers from

conveniently selected high schools in Regions V and

IX were identified using Treagust and Haslam’s

Two-Tiered Diagnostic test on Photosynthesis and

Cellular Respiration (1987). Interviews with ran-

domly selected secondary and pre-service teachers

were done to determine the knowledge structure of the

respondents. Generally, for both secondary in-service

and pre-service teachers, the misconceptions revolve

on any one or a combination of the following: failure to

differentiate between photosynthesis and respiration,

failure to give a functional understanding of the

chemical basis of biological processes and for some,

failure to correctly identify the site of biological proc-

esses. The respondents have shallow and flawed un-

derstanding of both photosynthesis and cellular respira-

tion. The inability to explain and show how the fore-

going concepts relate is more pronounced among the

pre-service teachers. The foregoing misconceptions

point to faulty, fragmentary and incomplete knowledge

structures across all respondents. Thus, the concep-

tual understanding is at the knowledge level only for

most pre-service teachers.Prof. Jocelyn D. Partosa, Natural Science Department, Ateneode Zamboanga University, Philippines

Incorporation of Mother Tongue in BiologySubjects: Preference among PhilippineScience High School Central Visayas

Campus Students

Sherry RamaylaPhilippine Science High School - Central Visayas Campus,

Philippines



This paper is based on the mandate of the Department

of Education to use the mother tongue in primary

schools as medium of instruction. The goal of this

study is to determine language preferences of the stu-

dents of Philippine Science High School – Central

Visayas Campus, Argao, Cebu, in their Biology classes.

A survey was conducted June 28, 2012, using struc-

tured questionnaires. The sample consisted of 22

second year students, 22 third year students, and 26

fourth year students. The respondents were randomly

selected. Findings showed that majority of the re-

spondent preferred bilingual medium of instruction

(English and the mother tongue in Cebu, Cebuano).

Students find the combination of English and Cebuano

as conversational or it encourages classroom interac-

tion between teacher and student or student and student

and it allows the students to grasp more of the meaning

of the concept of Biology if the two languages are used

inside the classroom.Prof. Sherry Ramayla, Philippine Science High School - Cen-tral Visayas Campus, Cebu, Philippines

Secondary Teachers’BiologicalConceptions of Natural Selection:

A Cross Regional Study

Michael A. Clores1), Jocelyn D. Partosa2),Maria Aurora A. Conde1), Maricar S. Prudente3),

Lydia T. Goingo1), Arnulfo R. Reganit1)

1Ateneo de Naga University, 2Ateneo de Zamboanga Uni-versity, 3De La Salle University, Philippines

This mixed method research determined the conceptual

understanding of pre-service and in-service secondary

biology teachers in Bicol and Zamboanga about

‘Natural Selection’ by generating: level of understand-

ing, knowledge structures, alternative conceptions and

misconceptions. A total of 113 respondents took the

Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection in the first

part of the study. In the second part, interviews of 37

were analyzed using NVivo9 and content analysis.

The level of understanding of teachers about the Natu-

ral Selection is generally low; they found most of the

test items to be difficult, and they expressed numerous

alternative conceptions and misconceptions. Seven

dominant alternative conceptions were identified and

are affirmed by four nodes, namely, “Need,” “Use and

disuses,” “Progress,” and “Purpose.” Based on the

results, recommendation on instruction, curriculum and

research were forwarded.Dr. Michael A. Clores, Natural Science Department, Ateneo deNaga University; Prof. Jocelyn D. Partosa, Natural ScienceDepartment, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines

The Silkworm as a Teaching Material

Koichi MorimotoNara University of Education, Japan

The silkworm is well-known and has already been used

as a teaching material for a long time widely in Japan.

As the silkworm is very useful for teaching of several

contents, it is expected that it will be good teaching

material inAsian countries other than Japan.

In primary school biology, the silkworm is suitable for

the observation of the life cycle of insect. It has egg,

larva, pupa and adult stages. Students can observe

how it feeds in the mulberry leaves and how it makes a

cocoon, and they can also observe the mating behavior

of it. The students can discover many things in mag-

nified image.

In lower secondary school biology, the silkworm is

useful for the observation of structure of insect in the

Arthropod. Students can observe the spiracle dorsal

vessel, the nail of legs and the simple eyes. The mat-

ing behavior is also very attractive for the students.

In upper secondary school biology, students can under-

stand the role of the silk gland which produces the silk.

As the silkworm vomits the digestive juice when it

receives an electric shock, the students can confirm the

function of the digestive juice by using it. One of the

phenotypes of the silkworm is the markings of its body.

The students can confirm Mendel’s Law by using the

phenotype.

Active Contents-based Learning inScience Education

Kazutoshi TamuraNiigata Municipal Bandai Senior High School, Japan

New contents-based learning plan is implemented in

two years. The plan is the contents-based learning

incorporated with inquiry-based learning. We call the

plan of learning “Active contents-based learning.”



We suggest that the method of the inquiry-based learn-

ing is attractive and effective when it is used as the part

of the contents-based learning. Inquiry-based learn-

ing and contents-based learning are complementary

each other. Therefore, a problem of these methods is

that how to unite the methods of inquiry-based learning

and of the contents-based learning. In Japan, educa-

tion of biology is cling to think about merely descrip-

tion of organism’s phenomenon, not enough to think

about principles of life and to gain the idea of organ-

isms systems, thus mainly done the contents-based

learning. Therefore, Active contents-based learning is

valid in Japan.

From this year, 2012, senior secondary school curricu-

lum guidelines are changed in Japan. New contents

are increased in textbooks. Also, inquiry-based

learning is recommended by the guidelines, because

the OECD test scores (PISA) in all areas have been

gradually decreased since 2003. However, in-

quiry-based learning method is not enough increased.

One reason is that inquiry-based learning becomes the

solitary new one subject. The other reason is that high

school teachers do not understand enough the in-

quiry-based learning. In Japan, high school education

is relatively poor to gain the creativity, to try new action

in science and also many areas in culture. High

school education is needed to change such the matter in

Japan. However, it is difficult to alter the cultural

situation. Fortunately, our nation has also somewhat

abundant history of science research. Biology educa-

tion and science education will be changed gradually

like to our plan, “Active inquiry-based learning.”Prof. Kazutoshi Tamura, Niigata Municipal Bandai SeniorHigh School, Niigata, Japan

An Innovative Approach in TeachingTotal RNA Isolation in Genetics, Cell and

Molecular Biology Laboratory

Vivian PanesAteneo de Manila University, Philippines

The method of isolating DNA from various types of

organisms, in particular using a formulated and modi-

fied DNA isolation protocol instead of a commercial

kit, is oftentimes introduced in laboratory classes in

Genetics, as well as in Cell and Molecular Biology in

the Philippines. The method of isolating RNA, how-

ever, is rarely introduced in these classes except in the

thesis of collegiate level biology students in some uni-

versities in the country. The preference for introduc-

ing DNA isolation rather than RNA is obvious, in that

the DNA, being double stranded is more stable than

RNA and hence the outcome for DNA extraction is

oftentimes guaranteed relative to RNA, specifically

with the use of a laboratory concocted isolation proto-

col.

The use of commercial kits for RNA isolation is cer-

tainly very expensive. Consequently, the high cost of

commercial kits for RNA isolation is a limitation to

many universities in the Philippines. Hence, the aim

of this paper is to present an innovative, less expensive

method for total RNA isolation. The method basi-

cally focuses on total RNA isolation of indigenous

Philippine plants with valuable commercial and me-

dicinal attributes, such as Artemisia vulgaris (damong

Maria) and Zingiber officinale (ginger). A modified

procedure for isolating total RNA from a mushroom,

Ganoderma lucidum is also introduced in this paper.

The formulation of this modified RNA isolation

method enabled the students to become more creative

and become less dependent on kits. Although kits

have advantages, such kits can serve as technical

crutches that dull the students’ ability to interpret ex-

periments and understand where they have gone wrong,

and may lose their ability to troubleshoot effectively.Prof. Vivian Panes, Department of Biology, School of Scienceand Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights,Quezon City, Philippines

Transmission Electron Microscopy ofIn Vitro Biofilms Formed by Candida

albicans and Escherichia coli

Frederick MasangkayPAMET, PASMETH, PSM, MIMLS, Philippines

Bacteria and Candida may adhere to surfaces or grow

in matrix-enclosed biofilms. This study investigated

biofilm architecture of Candida albicans and Es-

cherichia coli sessile cells in pure and co-cultures in

vitro.

Significance: How biofilms are formed is key to under-

standing effects in the human host when pathogenic



organisms: Candida albicans associated with yeast

infections and Escherichia coli the most common

cause of gastro-enteritis and urinary tract infection es-

tablishes a community. Interaction between these

organisms would demonstrate phenotypic characteris-

tics which will serve as basis in discovering appropriate

strategies and interventions particular to these micro-

bial communities.

Methods: Clinical isolates of bacterial and fungal cells

were grown in thioglycollate broth. Sessile cells

(biofilm phenotype) were harvested by decanting the

bulk fluid, swabbing the slides of the test tubes and

planting in BAP, MAC and CAP. Sessile cells were

then grown on copper grids for 72 hours and negatively

stained with 2% phosphtungstic acid for Transmission

Electron Microscopy examination. Sessile cells were

also grown in Eppendorf tubes with thioglycollate for

72 hours, fixed with glutaraldehyde and processed for

positive staining. Ultra-thin sections were stained

with 7% methanolic uranyl acetate solution and lead

citrate.

Results and Discussion: C. albicans sessile cells in pure

and co-culture with E. coli in thioglycollate did not

produce hyphae or pseudohyphas; it maintained the

blastospore (yeast cell) morphology. Biofilm archi-

tecture of towers predominated in C. albicans pure

culture and demonstrated the formation of “blobs.”

Networking architecture was observed in pure colonies

of E. coli. Negative staining as superior in demon-

strating exopolysaccharide structures because of ab-

sence of dehydration process. However, positive

staining was superior in demonstrating cell walls.

Sessile cells of E. coli and C. albicans in in vitro

co-cultures in thioglycollate broth resulted in

down-regulated biofilm formation demonstrated by

decreased cellularity of biofilms and degradation of

yeast cells.

Retrial to Select Biological Terms forSecondary School Science Education

in Japan

Nobuyasu KatayamaTokyo Institute of Biology Education, Japan

As a result of the latest reform of the national curricu-

lum standard, the Course of Study (CS), by the Minis-

try of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Tech-

nology, Japan (MEXT), the contents of biology-related

subjects have significantly changed. In particular,

the CS for upper secondary schools has been very

much modernized. In addition, the relaxation of the

textbook screening process by MEXT has resulted in a

wide variety of synonymous biological terms appearing

in biology textbooks which are published by some pri-

vate publishers. This is particularly remarkable in the

upper secondary school level. Upper secondary

school students, therefore, must remember all of these

terms if they will take university entrance examinations.

It must be a burden on these students. The Society of

Biological Sciences Education Japan (SBSEJ) has or-

ganized a working group (the SBSEJ Examination

Committee for Biological Terms) for selecting biologi-

cal terms appearing in biology textbooks for upper

secondary schools to reduce the burden on the students

and for revising the Glossary of Biological Terms

which was published in 1998. In the presentation, we

will report our activities to date. We also show some

data such as the number of biological terms appearing

in the glossary section of Basic Biology - Biology for

All - textbooks which were published last March and

the redundancy of some of these terms among these

textbooks.

Dr. Nobuyasu Katayama, [email protected]

Scientific Researches among Articles of Sci-entifically Gifted Students for Biology Edu-

cation

Ji-Hyon Kil1), Kew-Cheol Shim2), Kyoungho Kim3),Jung-Min Kim4)

1National Institute of Environmental Research, 2KongjuNational University, 3Gongju National University of Edu-cation, , 4Environmental Ecological Education Institute,

South Korea

This study is to analyze articles of scientifically gifted

students, which were published in Korean Journal of

Young Scientist. They were written by scientifically

gifted students who were high school students. The

papers were reviewed by scientists and most of them

were research papers resulted from scientific research

–based mentoring programs. The scientific mentoring



programs were performed by high school students with

being helped by university professors or institute scien-

tists. Their research themes were related to mathe-

matics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences and

earth sciences. Articles of them related to biological

sciences showed in experimental methods and tools

including DNA and protein works. The results im-

plied that various laboratory experiences motivated and

facilitated them to understand biological properties, and

writing an article should be useful to facilitate eceintific

ability of scientifically gifted students.Prof. Kyoungho Kim, Department of Science Education,Gongju National University of Education, Gongju, Chungnam,South Korea

Utilization of Learner-centered Principles inGrade 4 and 5 Math and Science

Instructional Activities in a Jesuit School inMetro Manila

Mel Greg ConceptionXavier School, Philippines

In any Jesuit school, cura personalis means having

personal care for the students. The learners serve as

the focus of the academic program and institution.

Researchers claim that students increase their motiva-

tion sand achievement if teachers provide them with

utmost care and positive learning environment. This

research aims to study what and how academic subject

teachers in Math and Science utilize to make their in-

stitutions and teaching practices learner-centered. The

methodology used in this research was a qualitative

descriptive research. Participants were randomly se-

lected using fishbowl sampling technique from a total

of 576 grade 4 and 5 students. The students’ percep-

tion was measured by a simple student questionnaire

on how their teachers’ use of learner- centered princi-

ples affects their motivation and academic performance.

Selection of teacher participants were grade school

math and science teachers and were categorized as

novice, junior and senior teachers. Grades 4 and 5

math and science teacher participants were asked to

answer the questionnaire. Likewise, they were ob-

served in their classes by their respective department

head. Documentary analysis was utilized to gather

data from the classroom observations conducted by the

department heads. Focus was on the learner- centered

instructional activities provided by the math and sci-

ence teachers in this study. Correction was estab-

lished with the students’ motivation and academic per-

formance and the teachers’ use of learner-centered

principles in math and science subjects specifically on

instructional activities.Prof. Mel Greg Conception, Middle School Science Depart-ment, Xavier School, Greenhills West, San Juan City; Depart-ment of Biological Sciences, Philippine Normal University,Manila, Philippines

Development and Application of ConceptBased Objective Tests (CBOTs) for HighSchool Students’ Understanding of the

School Biology Syllabus

Narendra D. DeshmukhHomi Bhabha Centre for Science Education,

TIFR, India

Identification and characterizing of misconception

generally involve considerable effort. Different tools

are used by different researchers to study the effective-

ness of any remediation program in the context of stu-

dents’ misconception. Most frequently used tech-

niques for extracting students’ ideas are, clinical inter-

view, 2-tier diagnostic test, concept inventories, con-

cept maps and multiple choice tests which incorporate

common misconceptions as item distracters. Other

approaches have used drawing, sorting and word asso-

ciation tasks and computer simulations. The objective

of this study was to develop a CBOT about the subject

of “Life Processes” in 9th grade Science curriculum and

to argue the efficiency of this test on students’

achievement. The researcher developed four Con-

cept-Based Objective Tests (CBOTs).

The CBOTs development procedure had three general

steps: defining the content boundaries of the test, col-

lecting information on students’ misconceptions, and

instrument development. Misconception data were

collected from open-ended questionnaire, interviews

and content analysis. The data were used to develop

CBOTs multiple-choice items.

The researcher decided to use multiple choice ques-

tions with four alternatives. The stem of each of the

multiple choice items was describing the concepts,

structures, processes, or functions. A correct answer



and three distracters were provided for each of the

items. After each question, space was provided to

write the reason for selection of their answer.

The results of the study showed that the CBOTs were

effective on determining the students’ misconceptions

and also it might be used as an alternative to the tradi-

tional multiple choice test for of assessment and

evaluation of students’ misconceptions. Through

these CBOTs, not only the students’ understanding of

the life processes was revealed but misconceptions

among the students were also detected.Dr. Narendra D. Deshmukh, Homi Bhabha Centre for ScienceEducation, TIFR, V. N. Purao Road, Mankhund, Mumbai400088, India

Analysis of Biology Education in JapaneseSchool in Terms of Its Priority among

Science Subjects

Kseniya Fomichova, Taku MisonouUniversity of Yamanashi, Japan

The 21st century is referred to as “the era of biology.”

However, it is unclear if the 21st century world wide

education systems are prepared for this challenge in

terms of their structure and contents – if they place an

appropriate emphasis on “Biology” in contract to other

science subjects. This research aims to analyze char-

acteristics and factors defining a relative prioritization

of physics and chemistry compared to biology in Japa-

nese schools, and to learn if such prioritization is ac-

complished internationally. Analysis is based on the

results of international educational comparison, inter-

national and Japanese publications and interviews with

stakeholders of Japanese school education.

While PISA shows higher rate of interest of Japanese

pupils to biology than to other scientific fields and this

subject is chosen by a prevailing number of them, bi-

ology is considered to be more suitable for low per-

formers in science. Also, it is supposed to be more

appropriate for the mentality of girls than that of boys.

International research has discovered that life and en-

vironmental science topics are taught to lesser percent

of pupils than topics in physics and chemistry in Japan

compared to majority of participating countries.

OECD indicates that scientific literacy of Japanese

population is lower in biological concepts. Some of

these trends are not specific on a cultural basis, but can

be found in other countries. A number of them (Ger-

man, Australian, etc.) experienced and over came peri-

ods of undervaluation of biology at different stages of

development. Other systems of education, for exam-

ple, that of Ukraine and Russian Federation presently

show certain tendencies similar to those of Japan.

However, new national curriculum standards for school

science were introduced from April 2012 in Japan.

They aim to end the “minimum curriculum age” and

may promote the sustainable development of this sub-

ject.Ms. Kseniya Fomichova, Natural, Biotic and Social Environ-mental Engineering, Interdisciplinary Graduate School ofMedicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Japan

The Role of Bioscience TrainingPartnerships in Expanding Employment

Opportunities for Bangkok’s UrbanCommunity Case Study

Churdchai CheowtirakulAssumption University, Thailand

This project was initiated during the history worst

flooded of Bangkok and vicinity during 2011. The

flood cause the massive migrate of many valuable in-

dustries from Thailand to countries such as Vietnam,

Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. This study addresses

a gap in the providing of golden opportunities in re-

garding the extent to which public workforce and vol-

unteer in utilizing a biological knowledge-intensive

expand employment for a nontraditional, i.e., less-

educated or displaced workforce. Specifically, it in-

vestigated the problem of knowledge generate institute

to help to provided useful education to the communities

for mitigation of the disaster phenomenon in Bangkok

and urban area. The study also examined the mecha-

nisms through which educators influence volunteer and

hiring practices, focusing on strategies to encourage

employers’ active engagement in the partnership and to

facilitate extensive collaboration among key partners.

To evaluate impact on community practices, and de-

termine the factors associated with successful (or un-

successful) program intervention in the sample phe-

nomenon.

We conducted intensive training and publicity to make



the public understand of the basic biological concept

that can help to solve the problem in need. The pro-

grams have succeeded in ensure of the concept and

knowledge we training future technicians to meet the

needs of urban communities; and in negotiating

skills-based, as opposed to credential-based application.

Finally, the evidence shows that partnership efforts

produce biological training, and services; facilitate the

learning necessary to generate program innovation; and

establish relationships of trust with communities.

Together, such outcomes positively shape the opportu-

nity structure facing community to create jobs base on

biological innovation knowledge.Prof. Churdchai Cheowtirakul, Faculty of Biotechnology, As-sumption University, Thailand

Performance Evaluation of School Divisionsin Mindanao: Education forAll 2015

Gee Marie S. Binag1), Rec Eguia2)

1Agusan del Sur State Agriculture and Technology;2University of Southeastern Philippines, Philippines

The educational process cannot exist without peda-

gogical resources: study programmes, textbooks, and

instructional materials adapted for the different age

groups found within the educational system. Here

again, the tasks of conceptualization, elaboration, usage,

evaluation, review often fall to the universities.

Achieving the “Education for All” goals within the

framework of the United Nation’s Millennium Devel-

opment Objectives requires a concerted effort and syn-

ergy amongst all societal players, from the individual to

the institutional standpoint. Universities do have a

major role to play, cooperating closely with public in-

stitutions and civil society. The study was conducted

to evaluate the technical and productivity performance

of schools divisions in Mindanao from period of 2002

– 2010. The profile factor of input and output vari-

ables were computed using Descriptive Statistics

whereas the Technical and Allocative Efficiency scores

and Total Factor Productivity were calculated using

DEA with output orientation while the sources of inef-

ficiency of the schools divisions were calculated using

the Tobit Regression and the significance of the differ-

ence were calculated using SPSS version 16. Based

on the findings, among 48 schools divisions in Min-

danao, 10 of these have achieved full technical effi-

ciency level. Meanwhile, 38 schools divisions were

inefficient due to lack of factors inputs like the numbers

of male and female enrollees, desk, classrooms and

MOOE. Thus, these are the determinants in the

number of male and female graduates that would affect

the performance that resulted to the inefficiency of the

schools divisions. Components of the productivity

change are due more to technological and total factor

productivity changes with efficiency changes providing

a gap.Dr. Gee Marie S. Binag, Agusan del Sur State Agriculture andTechnology, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Philippines

Exploring Perceptions of Climate Change inYear Eight Secondary School Students in

Victoria, Australia

Bianca Weyers, Anne Wallis, Ty MatthewsDeakin University, Australia

Education is an important platform for providing the

skills and knowledge required to address environ-

mental problems, such as, the impacts of greenhouse

gas emission. Changing climate is a complex issue

that is now regarded as one of the world’s most signifi-

cant environmental challenges. In Australia, however,

very few studies have been undertaken to explore stu-

dent perception about climate change and examination

of the Victorian curriculum reveals that climate change

is not a focus for any teaching levels from Grade 5

through to Year 10. Understanding student’s knowl-

edge of climate change can provide the basis for cur-

riculum development and ensure students are well in-

formed about an issue that is likely to have broad envi-

ronmental, social and economic consequences for fu-

ture generations.

This paper reports on the results of an investigation

designed to gather data about student knowledge and

perceptions of climate change. Using a combination

of qualitative and quantitative methods, Year 8 science

students from three regional secondary schools in

south-west Victoria, Australia, participated in the re-

search activities. Results showed that students vary in

their level of understanding associated with the causes,

impacts, and solutions to climate change. They dem-

onstrated low levels of concern and indicated that their



main source of information about climate change was

from the media and to a lesser extent from school.

Many students were clearly confused and misinformed

about many aspects associated with the influence of

green house gas emissions and how it is influencing

climate.

During the course of the study, it was also found that

demographic factors, such as gender and the location of

the school did not influence student responses. The

most influential factor appeared to be the method used

to elicit these responses. This study has shown that he

use of triangulated methods can strengthen research

associated with research of climate change education.

If this small scale study does in fact provide a repre-

sentative sample of students within Victorian schools, a

greater emphasis on climate change is required to en-

sure that current students can implement and/or under-

stand the need for adaptation to climate change now

and in the future.Dr. Anne M. Wallis, School of Life and Sciences, Deakin Uni-versity, Warrnambool, Vic. 3290, Australia

Importance of Parasite Diversity in theUnderstanding of Global Biodiversity

C. H. Diong, Shancui Serene OhNanyang Technology University, Singapore

A substantial proportion of global diversity is repre-

sented by adverse group of organism, parasites. Para-

sites are highly adaptable organisms that have been

recognized as contemporary probes of biodiversity.

Several groups of parasites are disease agents affecting

human health, others are of agricultural, epidemiologi-

cal, and veterinary importance. The diversity of

metazoan parasites of wildlife vertebrates is far from

complete. Parasitological surveys and parasite in-

ventories are not evenly represented across taxa. In-

creasingly however, parasites are included in biodiver-

sity surveys and to study parasite diversity. A number

of determinants of parasite diversity seems to have

evolved independently in different host-parasite sys-

tems. Measures used to study parasite species rich-

ness patterns are usually investigated at the infracom-

munity and component community levels. Parasite

diversity provides insight into the structuring of eco-

systems, zoogeography, impacts on local biodiversity

by non-indigenous host-transported parasites into

naturalized habitats, colonization-extinction dynamics,

and importantly, biodiversity on a local, regional, and

global scale.C. H. Diong, 2M JalanRemaja, Singapore 636671

Educational Implication for MangroveRehabilitation in Barangay Catadman

Cuyo, Palawan

Victor Magbanua, Marjorie Espanola,Agnes Acero

Palawan State University, Philippines

Barangay Catadman is one kilometer away north of the

town of Cuyo. The island town is 156 nautical miles

away from Puerto Princesa City. In the past, the resi-

dents of Cuyo Island found the place as the source of

marine resources which served as their major source of

livelihood, but due to climate change and anthropo-

genic activities, it resulted to the diminished mangroves

in the areas. The PSU-Cuyo through its Extension

Services had spearheaded a project to rehabilitate the

mangroves. Hundreds of mangroves had been

planted in the place. A database of some marine re-

sources in the area is also being established for future

reference. A program was already started which

shows a way of mitigating the effect of climate change

by educating the residents of the importance of a

well-preserved environment, demonstrate the proper

care and rehabilitation of the diminished natural re-

sources. The reasons for the diminishing marine re-

sources are illegal fishing, traditional way of fishing

using lamnek, lagtang, makaslaand sarap, cutting

mangrove to be used as decoration, firewood, charcoal,

stock house building, for the construction of their ku-

boor nipa hut and kaingin. Adding to the degradation

of the area observed later was due to the unpredictable

climate changes. Much later the use of commercially

bought poison for live fish catching had aggravated the

degradation of the marine resource. From the views

of the residents and observations by the faculty and

students, the reasons for the mangrove preservation and

conservation are protection from extreme heat, strong

winds, large waves, typhoons, windbreaks for the

whole shoreline of the community; protection from soil,



beach and sand erosions; breeding and nursery area for

marine organisms and shelter for inland animals like

reptiles, insects and birds.Prof. Victor Magbanua, College of Community Resources andDevelopment, Palawan State University, Cuyo Campus, Pala-wan, Philippines

Implementations of the Lesson Using DiatomProject: Web-based Educational Aids in

Seven Language Areas of Asian Countries

Shigeki Mayama1), K. Katoh2), H. Omori2),S. Seino3), H. Osaki4), M. Julius5), J. H. Lee6), C.

Cheong6), E. A. Lobo7), A. Witkowski8), R. Srivibool9), P.Muangphra10), R. Jahn11), M. Kulikovskiy12), P. B.

Hamilton13), Y. Gao14), L. Ector15), T. Soeprobowati16),K. Balasubramanian17), B. Alakananda17), S. Guru-

prasad17), E. A. Barlaan18), C. N. Solak19)

1Tokyo Gakugei University, 2Tokyo University, 3KyushuUniversity, 4Stream Graph, Japan; 5St. Cloud State

University, USA; 6Daegu University, Korea; 7UniversitySanta Cruz do Sul,Brazil; 8University Szczecin, Poland;

9Brapha University, 10Silpakorn University, Thailand;11Bot. Garten Bot. Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Germany;

12Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academyof Science, Russia; 13Canadian Museum of Nature,

Canada; 14Xiamen University, China; 15Public ResearchCentre-Gabriel Lippmann, Ruxenburg; 16Diponegoro

University, Indonesia; 17Gubbi Labs, India; 18UP-Diliman,Philippines; 19Dumlupinar University, Turkey

Diatom Project is an international Wab-based educa-

tional system for promoting awareness to the nations

about river environment*. In the past three years, we

have developed it in 17 languages with four modules:

SimRiver ˗˗ a Web-based program simulator that uses

diatoms to enhance the understanding of the relation-

ship between human activity and water quality;

streaming videos ˗˗ introducing basic knowledge of

diatoms; visual tools ˗˗ informing circumstances of

various water environments in both different areas and

time frames; and reporting system ˗˗ for feedback from

learners.

Effectiveness of the system was assessed in classes

using six languages in five countries. Before and after

the classroom activity, students described answer for

the same question: What thought do you have about

river today? The descriptions were treated with text

mining software followed by correspondence analysis

(CA). In comparison of the pre-and post-tests, Japan

and Korea showed similar shift of student groups in

which their awareness was oriented toward improve-

ment of riverine environment. In Indonesia and two

Indian language (Kannada and Marathi) areas, they

were rather oriented to SimRiver program and diatom

itself. Thai students showed intermediate shift be-

tween eastern and southern Asian countries. The dif-

ference of the group positions in CA may be caused by

different learners’ awareness about river environment

for sustainable development and will allow us to invite

people from any country to join the project. Very

recently we had a class activity using the Diatom Pro-

ject in the Philippines. We will also show the result of

this analysis in comparison with those of other Asian

language areas.

* http://www.u-gakugei.ac.jp/~diatom/Prof. Shigeki Mayama, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Ja-pan

Comparative Assessment in Using TextualGraphical and Traditional Instructional

Material in Teaching Biology

Christine May Torres1), Ana P. Centeno2)

1Columban College Inc., 2Colegio de Calumpit,Philippines

The Philippine education, particularly the basic educa-

tion, is now faced with a great challenge upon imple-

menting the K-12 scheme of education. One of the

challenges concerning this is the selection of appropri-

ate instructional materials. Instructional materials

play very important aspect in the teaching and learning.

In fact, this is one of the many factors that are blamed

for the poor quality of education in the country. One

of the predicaments is addressing the issue of the in-

structional materials appropriate and suitable with the

type of learners. Sufficient theories and literatures are

available stating the advantages and disadvantages of

using instructional materials presented in heavy text,

graphical and traditional means. Therefore, as a prel-

ude, this study’s main concern was about assessing the

significant effects of text, graphical and traditional

presentation of instructional material. In the conduct

of the experimental research, the tool used to determine

the significant difference on the performance of stu-

dents in particular topics in biology intervened by

http://www.unisc.br/versoes/english/university/index.htm

http://www.unisc.br/versoes/english/university/index.htm

http://www.us.szc.pl/uk/

http://www.buu.ac.th/webeng/english.html

http://www.su.ac.th/

http://www.bgbm.org/default.htm

http://www.u-gakugei.ac.jp/~diatom/



heavy text module, graphical module and the tradi-

tional instructional material. As a result, in its finding,

it shows that there is no significant difference between

students’ performance intervened with book and those

that intervened with text. Also, there is no significant

difference on the performance to those intervened with

book and those with graphical material. However,

there is a significant difference between those students

intervened with graph and text. This draws the con-

clusion that students learn and perform more if they

will be using more graphic material. From this study,

it is further recommended to construct instructional

materials with more graphics. Also, apply the

graphical concept to other topics in Biology as well

with other subjects. Lastly, the study may also be

utilized in other subject matter for validation.

Opinions of Japanese University Studentsabout Issues of Bioethics: The Case of GeneDiagnosis and Amniotic Fluid Examination

Kunio Umeno1), Junko Iwama2), Shizuo Matsubara3)

1Japan University of Economics, 2CKawasaki CityCollege of Nursing, 3Toin University of Yokohama,

Japan

We investigated Japanese university students’ opinions

on “gene diagnosis” and “amniotic fluid examination”

as examples of bioethical issues, which are important

component of biology education, by questionnaire in

July 2012. The number of respondents was 322 from

three universities. The questions were “Would you

want to have a gene diagnosis, if this examination were

available for any applicant?” and “Would you want to

have an amniotic fluid examination for yourself or your

spouse, after you married and you or your spouse were

pregnant?” Respondents chose one answer from four

alternatives: (1) I strongly hope so, (2) I hope so, (3) I

do not hope so, and (4) I strongly do not hope so.

According to the collection of all responses, the most

common response was alternative (1) and the second

was alternative (2) for both questions. Total rates of

selection of positive answers, namely alternatives (1)

plus (2), were 83.7% for “gene diagnosis,” and 73.8%

for “amniotic fluid examination.” There were little

gender differences in the tendencies of selecting alter-

natives. As to “gene diagnosis,” the selection rate of

alternatives (1) and (2) were 45.3% and 36.7% respec-

tively for male students, 39.4% and 46.8% respectively

for female students. As to “amniotic fluid examina-

tion,” total selection rates of positive alternatives, (1)

plus (2), for male and female students were 76.2% and

70.2%, respectively. As shown in the above data,

there was a tendency that female students have rela-

tively more negative opinions than male students for

having “gene diagnosis” and “amniotic fluid examina-

tion.” However, the cause of this tendency may not

gender difference, but might be that the majority of

female student were nursing majors.

Opinions of Japanese University Studentsabout Issues of Bioethics: The Case of

“Organ Transplantation and Brain Death”and “Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis”

Junko Iwama1), ShizuoMatsubara2), Kunio Umeno3)

1Kawasaki City College of Nursing, 2Toin University ofYokohama, 3Japan University of Economics, Japan

Bioethics relates to every aspect of life in nature and

social environments. In recent years, the necessity of

guidance about the “preciousness of life” has been

proposed by many researchers for science education.

However, our research has revealed that in Japan, im-

plementation rate of bioethics education in lower sec-

ondary school was about 20%, and in elementary

schools and upper secondary school, it was only about

10% (Iwama et al., 2012). We investigated Japanese

university students’ opinions on “organ transplantation

and brain death” and “preimplantation genetic diagno-

sis” in July 2012. The results of the study are as fol-

lows: 1) Firstly, on “organ transplantation and brain

death,” 65% of the students (91 of 140) approved

“conditional promotion,” that is, “I accept both organ

transportation and brain death, and I hope artificial or-

gans will be developed.” The number of “promotion”

students was 17%. So the great majority of students

(82%) accepted the promotion of organ transplantation.

2) Secondly, on “preimplantation genetic diagnosis” in

order to treat the first child who is suffering from “fan-

coni anemia,” 37% of the students (52 of 140) ap-

proved “conditional restriction,” that is, “We should not



request the second young child who has no will to be-

come the means of the treatment.” The number of

students answering “restriction” or “negation” was

27%. Thus the majority of students (64%) had nega-

tive opinion. Japanese students usually study about

the issues of bioethics at classes such us “Integrated

Studies,” “Ethics” and “Contemporary Society” in up-

per secondary school. However, bioethics relates

closely to the body and life of living things, so it also

should be taught in school science education.

Alternative Conceptions of HumanCardiovascular System Concepts Among BS

Nursing Students in Zamboanga City

Obra, MarioWestern Mindanao State University and Philippines

Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines

This study was conducted to elicit the alternative con-

ceptions of human cardio-vascular system (HCVS)

concepts among BS Nursing students in Zamboanga

City. Specifically, the study aimed to identify the spe-

cific alternative conceptions of students on heart struc-

ture and functions; nature and components of blood;

blood functions; blood vessel structure and functions;

blood circulation, HCVS general function; HCVS dis-

orders. The respondents of the study were 312 BS

Nursing students coming from the Ateneo de Zambo-

anga University, Western Mindanao State University

and Univeridad de Zamboanga. A random multi-

stage sampling design was used to select the actual

respondents from each university. Students’ alterna-

tive conceptions on essential content areas of HCVS

were identified through the analysis of items and

choices of the respondents on the researcher prepared

two- tiered diagnostic test. Individual responses and

group output of the respondents were noted and identi-

fied. Results showed that BS Nursing students in

Zamboanga City continued to have alternative concep-

tions on HCVS concepts even after formal instruction.

The students had the highest percentage of alternative

conceptions on blood components (65%); HCVS gen-

eral function (52%); understanding hypertension (46%)

and nature of blood (38%). The least percentage of

alternative conceptions was detected on blood circula-

tion (3%), heart structure (5%) and blood functions.

Hence, these findings support the claim that HCVS is a

topic in Biology where students often hold consider-

able number of alternative conceptions.Prof. Mario Obra, Western Mindanao State University, Collegeof Science and Mathematics, Zamboanga City, Philippines

Using TED As Supplementary Materials forTeaching Biology

Kyoungho Kim1), Kew-Cheol Shim2),Jung-min Kim3), Nam-Il Kim4)

1Gongju National University of Education, 2Kongju Na-tional University, 3Environmental Ecological EducationInstitute, 4Chuncheon National University of Education,

South Korea

It is mainly science textbooks that provide information

to students. However, textbooks fail to cover the lat-

est scientific developments, as their information is at

least 10 years old. The most recent scientific progress

is often introduced through various materials from

simple black-and-white photos to more sophisticated

videos. One of the most up-to-date materials is TED

videos. TED is open to anyone with access to the

Internet via computers or smart phones. Speakers of

diverse backgrounds share their unique ideas through a

5 to 20-minute lecture on various themes and videos of

those lectures are updated every week. This presenta-

tion aims at introducing some of the TED videos that

could be used for teaching biology: functions of mush-

rooms, honeybee breeding, colour recognition of a

monochromat, life in the deep oceans, and medical use

of archeological discoveries.Prof. Kyoungho Kim, Department of Science Education,Gongju National University of Education, Gongju, Chungnam,South Korea

Analysis of Japanese Science Curriculum forConnecting to Our Daily Life:

Crosscurriculum with Health EducationAbout Human Bodies

Sato, TakayukiHirosaki University, Japan

Science education has necessity for connecting the

learning contents to daily life in Japan. Therefore, we

established purpose of this study which connects learn-



ing human bodies to daily life with using health educa-

tion. So, we compared Japanese science curriculum

with health education curriculum. The results of analy-

sis of “Japanese Course of Study,” learning contents

about human bodies have been in science curriculum

all periods after World War II. The results of analysis

of science textbooks which is used in compulsory edu-

cation, bone structures, muscles, embryogeny, respira-

tion, digestion, blood circulation and principal internal

organs are learned at the latter half grades of elemen-

tary schools. On the other side, at lower secondary

schools, nervous systems, reproduction, and advanced

contents of elementary school level are learned. We

analyzed learning contents which were described in

health education textbooks. There are many learning

contents to understand health on daily life at elemen-

tary schools. The learning contents of health educa-

tion at lower secondary schools are to understand

health concretely with viewpoints of structure and

function of human bodies. Therefore, when the con-

tents of health education are introduced in science

learning, science curriculum can connect to daily life

strongly. If teachers use the contents of health educa-

tion at introduction of science learning activities, stu-

dents become to have motivation to learn science by

feeling affinity to science. If teachers use them at the

last of science learning activities, teachers become to be

able to emphasize the connection of science learning

and daily life. Furthermore, there are many modern-

istic problems about human health which are explained

scientifically on health education textbooks. If these

problems are applied to science learning activities, stu-

dents have opportunities that they use basic knowledge

of science that they have learned. Then, we think that

students’desire to learn science can be improved.

<Poster presentations>

Assessing the Potential for TransformativeLearning in a Field Biology Course

Chuckie FerA. Calsado, Dawn T. Crisologo, JustinRay M. Guce

Biology Unit, Philippine Scinece High School – MainCampus, Philippines

The Field Biology elective is a three-week program

offered to incoming senior students of the PSHS-Main

Campus. Participants undergo rigorous on-campus

training, team-building, and orientation activities prior

to being deployed to a variety of ecosystems in Luzon

where they employ field techniques to collect and ana-

lyze data on ecological interactions and human impacts

on the environment. Its informal, experiential, col-

laborative, and immersive nature makes it a good

venue for effecting transformative learning. Quantita-

tive data in the form of scores on Frederick’s Cognitive

Reflection Test (2005) and Strathman Consideration of

Future Consequences Scale (1994) showed that a ma-

jority of the course participants focused more on the

potential future outcomes of their current behavior, a

trait associated with increased environmental aware-

ness. Qualitative data from interviews and reflection

papers showed increased interest in the biology as a

career choice, increased awareness of environmental

issues and modification of unsustainable behavior, and

development of life skills. Learning experiences that

have contributed to these shifts in thoughts, feelings,

and behaviors are also identified.

Development and Practice of Pre-serviceTeacher training Program for Elementary

Science: A Plan for Teachers’ Competency inBiological Observation and Experiment in

the New Japanese Course of Study

Heiwa Muko, Masahiro Hizume, Hiroshi LeyamaEhime University, Japan

Since 2011, the new Japanese Course of Study has

been implemented. One salient change in the Course

of Study was the increase in the number of contact

hours for elementary science, from 350 hours to 450

hours. New observation activities and experiments

have been also brought into the new elementary sci-

ence. The purpose of this study was to develop a spe-

cial pre-service teacher training program for elemen-

tary science teaching guided by the new Course of

Study, and to investigate the effects of the program to

prospective elementary teachers. The training pro-

gram was conducted for 26 university hours filled with

observation activities and experiments, which covered

most of the science contents in the new Course of



Study. A total of 800 prospective teachers from vari-

ous departments and/or colleges of Ehime University

participated for the academic year 2011-2012. It can

be implied in the results that the participants acquired

basic scientific knowledge and competency in observa-

tion activities and experiments through the program.

Although the program is non-credit, prospective teach-

ers who actively participated in at least 70% of the list

of activities were given certificate of completion. The

success of the program is deemed important in im-

proving and ensuring the high quality of pre-service

teacher training program for elementary science teach-

ing.Dr. Heiwa Muko, Department of Education, Ehime University,Japan

Do Bell Peppers Photosynthesize?~ Inquiry into Photosynthesis ~

Teiko NakamichiTokyo Institute of Biology Education, Japan

In elementary and lower secondary school, students

learn about photosynthesis: leaves of a plant catch

sunlight and make nutrition such as starch. How do

students conceptualize photosynthesis occurring in

different parts of the plant? I surveyed secondary

school and university students. The key question I

asked the students was, "Does the fruit of red bell

peppers and green bell peppers photosynthesize?"

Thirty-seven percent of the students answered that red

bell peppers do photosynthesize, while 49% answered

that green bell peppers do not photosynthesize.

Some fruits contain chloroplasts, like leaves do.

Students will be better able to understand that flowers

evolved from leaves by inquiring more about

photosynthesis in the fruit of bell peppers. Furthermore,

by including peapods in the inquiry activity and by

observing stomata in the epidermis of peapods students

can recognize the commonality of leaves and fruits.

The experimental method was as follows: (1) Prepare

the materials such as bell peppers of different colors,

peapods, and spinach leaves. Cut each of them into

an appropriate size so as to keep each one at the middle

of a test tube. (2) Put 1 ml of pH indicator in the bottom

of the test tube (In this step, I used a mixed solution of

thymol blue and phenol red as a pH indicator). (3)

Put materials in the test tube avoiding contact with the

pH indicator solution, and make the test tube airtight

with a rubber stopper. Prepare a test tube with only

the pH indicator in it as a control. (4) Prepare another

set of test tubes in the same way, and wrap them in

aluminum foil to block light. (5) After placing all test

tubes under a light for a while, examine the color of the

pH indicator in each test tube.Mrs. Teiko Nakamichi, e-mail: [email protected]

Elementary School Teachers’Beliefs aboutEducation for Sustainable Development

HyeongCheol Lee, PyoungKil Yoo, JinHo BaeBusan National University of Education, South Korea

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary

school teachers’ belief about education for sustainable

development (ESD) in South Korea. Subjects were

75 (male 25, female 50) elementary school teachers.

Questionnaires, developed on the basis of Yang et al.

(2010) which was for measuring of the beliefs of sec-

ondary school teachers, consisted of values of ESD

(respect and care for the community of life, ecological

integrity, social and economic justice, democracy, non-

violence and peace) and teaching beliefs of ESD (rele-

vance to daily life, students’ need in the future, inte-

grated teaching). The results of this study were as

follows: Elementary school teachers generally showed

positive beliefs about values of ESD and teaching be-

liefs related to curriculum content, pedagogy, and

learning and teaching beliefs of ESD. But they

showed negative beliefs about social and economic

justice comparatively.Prof. HyeongCheol Lee, Department of Science Education,Busan National University of Education, Busan 611-736,South Korea

Development of Environmental andExperiential Program for Understanding the

System and Environment of Local River

Kiyoyuki Ohshika1), Kazunari Saguwara2)

1Aichi University of Education, 2Foundation of River &Waterland Environment Management, Japan

In the new Japanese Curriculum, the integration of real

life experiences, utilization of scientific museum, and



the use of local resources in teaching science were

given emphasis as strategies in science teaching. The

idea was applied to the use of following three rivers:

Kiso River, Nagara River, and Ibi River located in

Chubu area at the center of Japan. The area is rich in

natural resources with high diversities of living things

around. The place could be served as a good study

site in which different topics and concepts in environ-

mental science can be demonstrated in different year

level of education, such as functions of river for grade 5,

the living things and their environment for grade 6, and

physicochemical survey of water quality of the river for

the junior high school level. In this research, the en-

vironmental educational program was developed with a

theme intended for local rivers for the students to learn

local natural environment and living things, and to

practice formal and informal educational opportunities.

This program has three main themes based on the

characteristics of Kiso River: the natural environment,

commercial use, and the tradition and culture of the

local people. In this research, we focused on the

natural environmental section. Using this program,

students experienced real life situation or living things

in local rivers, and teachers could teach about the river

without having special skills. Because students are

able to learn about the local rivers experientially, they

will continue to learn by themselves and develop their

own understandings in the future.Dr. Kiyoyuki Ohshika, Department of Science Education, AichiUniversity of Education, Japan

Origami Bird: ATeaching Material LinkingMutation, Natural Selection, and Speciation

Takahiro Yamanoi1,2,3), Watal M. Iwasaki4), MasaharuTakemura2), Vivian Tolentino3)

1Hakuoh Ashikaga Senior High School, 2Tokyo Universityof Science, 3the University of Tokyo, 4Tohoku University,

Japan

We improved the origami bird protocol (Westerling,

1992), a teaching material for natural selection, by in-

corporating Gametes mutation box that links gene al-

teration to changes in phenotype and Origami bird

simulator that links natural selection and speciation.

A comparison between the pre-and post-test results

suggested that this protocol successfully enhanced

Japanese high school students’ understanding of link-

age between mutation, natural selection and speciation,

and removed misconceptions about topics such as La-

marckism and orthogenesis. Our improved protocol

could be used widely because, in many countries,

teaching materials linking microevolution and macro-

evolution are lacking (Catrey, 2006) and foreign stu-

dents also have teleological conception about evolution

(Bardapurkar, 2008).Prof. Takahiro Yamanoi, Hakuoh Ashikaga Senior HighSchool, Tadaki-cho 1067, Ashikaga, Tochigi 329-4214, Japan

Development of the Vegetable-basedMethods for Learning Molecular

Systematology in Japanese High SchoolBiology Course

Tomoko Kazama, Masaharu TakemuraTokyo University of Science, Japan

Over the past several decades, tremendous growth has

occurred in our understanding of genetic phenomena

and the intricate and complicated mechanisms that me-

diate genetic effects. During study in secondary

schools in Japan, modern genetics is an important area

for high school students. Now we are developing

new teaching materials for learning molecular sys-

tematology, which includes processes necessary for

producing a molecular phylogenetic tree by the stu-

dents themselves. Because vegetables are regarded as

familiar for students, we are trying to use them as new

teaching materials. We introduced the hypothesis that

“the edible portion of vegetables and the form of a

flower reflect the systems of these vegetables” to this

teaching material. We established methods of making

phylogenic trees using sequences of rbcL genes of

some vegetables. Vegetable-based methods are

thought to incorporate “artificial selection,” and are

expected to include effective educational points related

to species and scientific names. Using these teaching

materials, students are thought to be able to learn about

molecular evolution, molecular phylogenic trees, mo-

lecular clocks, scientific names, and classification sys-

tems of living things. Herein, we present the results

obtained by application of these teaching materials for

Japanese school students.Ms. Tomoko Kazama, Graduate School of Mathematics and



Science Education, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka1-3, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan

Development of a Simulation Activity forLearning Evolution

Tetsuya Asano, Kiyoyuki OhshikaAichi University of Education, Japan

In the new Course of Study of Japan, it is to learn biol-

ogy from a perspective of regularity and biodiversity at

the high school level. “Evolution” is one of the im-

portant topics to learn in biology. However, it is dif-

ficult to observe directly the process of evolution and to

conduct experiments. In addition, it is difficult to

develop teaching materials for the topic of evolution.

In this research, we developed a simulation activity on

natural selection (based on the activity of Burton et al,

2009), and observed the effectiveness of this activity in

the teaching and learning process. In the activity,

students use table utensils such as spoon or fork.

Students observe the change in the number of utensils

during the conduct of this activity. The activity was

tried out to the undergraduate science major students to

find out its effectiveness in developing the concepts in

evolution. Before and after the conduct of the activity,

the students were given questionnaire to assess their

understanding about natural selection as well as their

views about the activity. From the results of analysis

on students’ responses, many students considered the

activity was very interesting and easy. Furthermore,

they could understand the process of evolution in this

activity. Therefore, we recommend this activity as an

effective material to teach natural selection in the topic

evolution in high school biology.Mr. Tetsuya Asano, Graduate School of Education, Aichi Uni-versity of Education, Japan

Development of Teaching Material UsingOwl Pellet of the Zoo

Shiho Chiga, Kiyoyuki OhshikaAichi University of Education, Japan

Raptors are known for vomiting pellets that contain

undigested matter such as bones or hairs. Pellets are

used as a general method of investigating the feeding

habits of raptors. Owl pellets are used as a teaching

material for food webs in the United States. Ohshika

et al. (2010) carried out a lesson with owl pellets as a

teaching material imported from the Unites States; it

was suggested that pellets are effective as a teaching

material for food webs at junior high schools. How-

ever, pellets are not familiar for Japanese children and it

is a problem for the teachers to identify the contents of

the pellets. Under the new Japanese Course of Study,

real life experience, utilization of science museum, and

application of local resources are given emphasis. In

this research, teaching material of owl pellets from a

local zoo in Japan was developed. Owl pellets were

collected from nine zoos in Japan, and subjected to

content analysis. As a result, owls in many zoos con-

sume mainly two types of animals, either mouse or

chicken. Therefore, the “bone charts” of a mouse

and a chicken were developed. Then, the “bone

charts” and the pellets was introduced in science

classes at the 8th grade and 9th grade. Results show

that many students could examine pellets positively

and the students’ ideas about the owl being herbivores

were changed into carnivorous animals. Furthermore,

they are more interested in the feeding habits of othe

animals and morphological features of the skeleton of

the mammals. Therefore, we believe that owl pellets

are effective teaching material to understand the feed-

ing habits of the owls.Ms. Shiho Chiga, Graduate School of Education, Aichi Uni-versity of Education, Japan

Effect of Learning DNA and Gene Using anExperiment of DNA Extraction at Junior

High School

Toru Higuchi, Kiyoyuki OhshikaAichi University of Education, Japan

In the new Japanese Course of Study, learning the con-

cepts of DNA and gene through observations and ex-

periments and understanding the regularity of the or-

ganisms through the study of the nature and structure of

DNA are emphasized. DNA extraction is now in-

cluded in the new junior high school science textbooks

in Japan. However, this experiment has hardly been

done in junior high school because of some problems

about protocols and effects. In this research, the best

protocol for conducting the experiment on DNA ex-



traction was tried out in 9th grade students. Pre- and

post-questionnaires were administrated and analyzed to

determine the effectiveness of the activity. It was re-

vealed by the pre-questionnaire that most of the stu-

dents had known the term DNA through TV programs

but many of the students thought that plants are not

organisms and do not have DNA. From the results of

pre-questionnaire, it is important for students to ex-

perience DNA extraction from both animal and plant.

The “cod roe” (an animal material) and “banana” (a

plant material) were used for the experiment and stu-

dents could extract DNA from these materials. Stu-

dents’ responses in the post-questionnaire showed that

they realized plants are organisms and all organisms

have DNA. Many students could realize the correct

concept about DNA through this activity. We believe

that misconceptions of junior high school students re-

garding DNA and genes will be corrected through this

activity.Mr. Toru Higuchi, Graduate School of Education, Aichi Uni-versity of Education, Japan

Science High School Students’ Conceptionsabout Climate Change

Arnold D. PitpitungePhilippine Science High School – Central Luzon Campus,

Philippines

There were no studies that focused on students’ correct

conceptions (extent of knowledge and comprehension),

misconceptions, and alternative conceptions on the

basic concepts, causes, effects, mitigations of, and ad-

aptations to climate change. This study determined

the science high school students’ conceptions on the

aspects of climate change. It involved randomly se-

lected 122 science high school students who took the

researcher-made multiple choice climate change test.

In each item, the students encircled their choice, pro-

vided brief explanation about their answer, and deter-

mined the source of information about the concept.

Their answers were coded to determine their climate

change conceptions. Students hold correct concep-

tions on the observable phenomenon that indicates cli-

mate change, product that produce greenhouse gases,

direct effect of climate change on freshwater, activity to

participate in for climate change mitigation, and strat-

egy to cope with the impact of climate change on bio-

diversity. However, misconceptions on relationship

of climate change and weather, factors that change the

Earth’s climate change, effects of climate change on

coastal areas, products to buy to support carbon se-

questration, and strategy to cope with the impact of

extreme weather conditions on agriculture were re-

vealed. Furthermore, more alternative conceptions

(ideas, views, beliefs about climate change that are not

consistent with scientifically accepted views but are not

considered to be errors or incorrect) on relationship of

climate change and health problems and strategy to

cope with freshwater stress than the other concepts on

climate change were also noted. Male respondents

have more correct conceptions than female respondents

who have more misconceptions on climate change

mitigations. Second year respondents have more

correct conceptions; the first year respondents have

more alternative conceptions. Information from

home/community decreases the incorrect views and

alternative conceptions of students on the basic con-

cepts of climate change. Media increase misconcep-

tions but decease the alternative conceptions on the

effect of climate change.Prof. Arnold D. Pitpitunge, Philippine Science High School –Central Luzon Campus, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga,Philippines

Small Group Instructional Diagnosis(SGID): A Reinforcement Strategy

Sheroda S. Montanez, Jovelyn L. OrquinaFather Saturnino Urios University, Philippines

This mixed research study focuses on the Small Group

Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) to improve academic

performances of the students. The chosen respon-

dents were the classes of Microbiology and Humanities

both with two sections. The respondents were pur-

posively chosen to compare whether the SGIS Process

can really help improve the performances of the stu-

dents. The simple random-lottery sampling was used

to level off the respondents for the Non-SGID groups.

To determine the differences between the academic

performance of the same group – Class A1 (Microbi-

ology) and Class A2 (Humanities), the paired t-test was

used. To determine the differences between the aca-



demic performance of the two groups, SGID and

Non-SGID, the t-test was employed. Results revealed

different approaches that the teachers used during the

class discussion that included group activities, individ-

ual activities, class participation and handouts. Ac-

cording to the students, these approaches help them

improve their learning. If they stated different ap-

proaches that enhanced their learning, they also have

distracters that detract their learning that includes

“noise.” Majority of them voted noise as one of the

most known distracters that really detracts them from

learning. The grades of the students from the four

classes, Class A1, Class A2, Class B1 and Class B2,

increased, but the SGID groups had higher improve-

ment compared to the grades of Non-SGID groups. It

was also shown that there was a significant improve-

ment on the academic performance of the students who

were administered with SGID. Also there was a sig-

nificant difference between the groups of SGID and

Non-SGID. Thus, SGID is significant in improving

student’s good performance.

Elementary School Teachers’ Knowledgeand Attitudes Towards Renewable Energy

Sources

Keum-Hyun So, Yong-Gwon Kim, Seok Hee LeeBusan National University of Education, South Korea

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge

and attitudes of elementary school teachers in South

Korea towards Renewable Energy Sources (RES).

Subjects were 74 (25 males and 49 females) elemen-

tary school teachers. Questionnaires, developed on

the basis of Liarakou et al. (2009) to measure the

knowledge and attitudes of elementary school teachers

consisted of socio-demographic characteristics of

teachers, general knowledge of RES and sustainable

development, general attitudes towards RES, attitudes

towards wind and other solar farms, domestic uses of

RES, teaching about RES. The results of this study

were as follows: Elementary school teachers (1) gener-

ally showed affirmative perceptions of RES to sustain-

able development; (2) expected RES to be used as

main future energy sources. But in-service training,

sustainable educational material, lesson plans, and ex-

tracurricular educational programs in order o deal with

RES are still needed by the elementary school teachers

in South Korea.Prof. Keum-Hyun So, Department of Science Education, Bu-san National University of Education, Busan 611-736, SouthKorea

Using Scientific Research-basedMonitoring Model for Scientifically Gifted

Students

Kew-Cheol Shim1), Ji-Hyon Kil2)

1Kongju National University, 2National Institute of Envi-ronmental Research, South Korea

The purpose of this study was to examine educational

implications of the scientific research based mentoring

model (SRMM) for scientifically gifted students, which

was proposed by Shim and Kim (2005) and Shim et al.

(2009). The SRMM consists of six phases, i.e., in-

troducing, exploring, planning, performing, verifying

and concluding, to facilitate scientific inquiry of gifted

students in the process of experimental performance.

In addition, they could be provided with concrete ex-

perimental experiences through laboratory practices,

and challenging tasks and feedback at the requisite

stage. In this paper, the model was applied to bio-

logical research theme, which was the auto-inhibition

and inter-inhibition of germination and seedling growth

during early stages of plant growth, and educational

potentials were examined in Science Education Insti-

tute for the Gifted, adjacent to University, Korea.Prof. Kew-Cheol Shim, Department of Biology Education,Kongju National University, Gongju, Chungnam, South Korea

The Effects of Science, Technology,Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM)Programs in Biology and Sports Science

Juneuy Hong, Hwagun Byun, Byungyong Lee,Kyungjun Ahn,Jinhee Park, Hyokwan Dong,

Jaeho SimSeowon University, Korea

Now, there is paradigm shift to the society of creative

intelligence with emotion. In the future, it will be

important not only the creative personality and emotion

but also artistic merit. So we adapt Science, Tech-

nology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM)



education as a convergence education. The purposes

of this study were to analyze students’ perceptions

about convergence study and to find out the effective-

ness of STEAM programs. For this study, we had

developed STEAM programs on bio and sports sci-

ences. Fourth graders, 6th graders, 8th graders and

10th graders were participated. The results showed

that the STEAM programs were very interesting for

students and effective to promoting creativity in sci-

ence.Prof. Juneuy Hong, Department of Biology Education, SeowonUniversity, Korea

Various Laboratory Experiences FacilitateGifted High School Students to Write

Scientific Research Articles

Ji-Hyon Kil1), Kew-Cheol Shim2), Kyoungho Kim3),Jung-Min Kim4)

1National Institute of Environmental Research,2Kongju National University, 3Gongju National

University of Education, 4Environmentl EcologicalEducation Institute, South Korea

The purpose of this study was to analyze articles of

scientifically gifted high school students, which were

published in Korean Journal of Young Scientist. Sci-

entists reviewed the papers and most of the research

papers were results of scientific research-based men-

toring programs. High school students performed the

scientific mentoring programs with the assistance from

university professors or institute scientists. Their re-

search themes were related to mathematics, physics,

chemistry, biological sciences and earth sciences.

Articles related to biological sciences reflect experi-

mental methods and tools including DNA and protein

works. The results implied that various laboratory

experiences motivated and facilitated them to under-

stand biological properties, and writing an article

should be useful to facilitate scientific ability of scien-

tifically gifted students, and to understand the nature of

scientific researches.Prof. Kyoungho Kim, Department of Science Education,Gongju National University of Education, Gongju, Chungnam,South Korea

Integrating Multiple Methods in teachingBiology to Improve Achievement of Students

with Varied Learning Styles

Erwin P. ElazeguiTechnological University of the Philippines, Philippines

This research investigated the learning styles of stu-

dents enrolled in general Biology second semester of

SY 2011 – 2012 and assess the effectiveness of four

different teaching methods introduced into Biology

classroom. Cooperative learning, class discussions,

concept maps and lecture were integrated into the

course to compare students’ levels of participation.

The study utilized qualitative and quantitative data in

an attempt to explore students’ conception of selected

topics of biology. The Kolbs Learning Style inven-

tory was used to categorize students learning styles and

Biology Concept Test was used as research instruments.

Results showed that out of 42 students, 24 students

were convergers, 9 students were divergers, 4 students

were assimilators, and 5students were accommodators.

based on thinking encouraged most of the class par-

ticipation wit a mean score of 4.2. All three methods,

however, had a significantly greater level of student

involvement than in traditional lecture. The use of

different methods caused significant increase in the

achievement of biology students with varied learning

styles.Prof. Erwin P. Elazegui, College of Science, TechnologicalUniversity of the Philippines - Manila, Philippines

A Correlational Study on Cate-chol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) VAL

158MET Single Nucleotide Polymorphismand Academic Performance of SelectedSenior Public High Schools in Manila,

Philippines

Janina S. Bautista, Katrina Lara L. Bravo, LuisaMarie S. Cruz, Franz Ysrael R. Del Rosario, Angelo

Alexan R. Tanguio, Josefino R. CastilloUniversity of Santo Tomas, Philippines

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a methyla-

tion enzyme that catalyzes the degradation pathway

and inactivation of dopamine which has been widely

accepted in playing a role in the mediation of human

cognition, emotional response, executive cognition and



working memory. The COMT genotypes of stu-

dent-respondents, determined through DNA isolation,

amplification and restriction endonuclease digestion,

were correlated with their final grades in school and

scores from National Career Assessment Exam

(NCAE), an annual assessment program held by the

Department of Education to evaluate student’s strong

points and help them for choosing future career. Re-

sults showed that COMT 158Met/Met homozygous

students showed a trend towards poorer performance in

mathematics (academic subject) (p = 0.035) and in all

subtests of the NCAE as compared to students homo-

zygous for 158Val/Val (p = 0.036) or heterozygous for158Val/Met (p = 0.002). However, the performances

of the COMT Met/Met homozygous students in the

science and mathematics subtests (p = 0.001 and p =

0.01, respectively) were significantly poorer than that

of the other two groups. The genotypic distribution of

the samples in the study revealed 34.2% Met homozy-

gotes, 29.5% Val homozygotes, and 36.2% Val/Met

heterozygotes. The low percentage of Filipino stu-

dents homozygous for COMT 158Val allele translates

into poor performance in the subject areas mentioned

above. Numerous educational system amendments

have been proposed as they often associate the aca-

demic achievement of the students to the effectiveness

of the educational scheme. Very little light has been

shed on other aspects such as psychological, social and

even biological factors that actually affect the academic

performance of students.Prof. Josefino R. Castillo, Department of Biological Sciences,College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philip-pines

Unraveling the Magnificent Code of Life:Modular Approach in Teaching the

Structure and Function of DNA in HighSchool Biology

Shela V. Ruiz, Leah V. CarballoCentral Bicol State University of Agriculture, Philippines

This module generally aimed to present clearer under-

standing of the structure and function of DNA through

activities and discussions primarily designed for second

year high school students. The 5 E’s of learning was

used as a method in the presentation of each lesson in

this module. This includes Engage, Explore, Explain,

Elaborate and Evaluate. The module engaged stu-

dents in practical work activities such as simulation,

picture puzzle, model constructions, brainteaser ses-

sions, laboratory investigations, and group output dis-

cussion were used. Interaction and collaboration

through maximum “minds-on” activity accompanied

with “hands-on” and “hearts-on” activities were used

as strategies in this module. These activities were

done in games and group competition. The discus-

sion of the learning concepts was through teamwork

and collaborative learning among students. An output

presentation was done every after activity either inde-

pendently, in pairs, or in groups. The in-depth discus-

sion included in this module provided the teacher a

clear understanding on the main concepts to be learned

by the students. Finally, this module integrated how

the genetic information from parents to offspring is

expressed through the central dogma of molecular bi-

ology. This would help the teacher and students relate

those concepts to the role of the genetic material in the

perpetuation of every living organism.Prof. Shela V. Ruiz, Central Bicol State University of Agricul-ture, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Two Novel Endemic Philippine Species inGynothodes Blume (Morindeae-Rubiaceae)

and Molecular Support on theReclassification of Morinda elliptofolia Merr.

and Quisumb

Joshua Johnedel P. Salvacion1), Gerson C. Cntreras1),Wei Yi D. C. Hung1), Fernan Macrin C. Ramos1),

Diana Grace B. Ysaac1), Jayson G. Chavez2),Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro1)

1University of Santo Tomas, 2Far Eastern University,Philippines

Recent phylogenic works on the systematics of

Morindeae have proposed new generic delimitations of

the tribe and the adoption of a narrow circumscription

of the nutriceutical genus Morinda known as “noni.”

The proposed transfer of all lianescent Morinda species

including the Philippine endemic M. elliptifolia to its

conglomerate Gynochthodes have raised the question

whether this taxonomic amendment is supported by

molecular dataset. To address this, samples of M.



elliptifolia and two Gynochthodes cf. specimens were

collected in the island of Palawan. 53trnT-F

(cpDNA) sequences were utilized for cladistic analysis.

Bayesian inference (BI) of the plastidial data supports

the generic transfer proposed by Razafimandimbison &

Bremer with strong divergence values (PP = 1.00).

The genus is united by marginal hairs along stipules

and bracts; axillary, racemose or cymose inflorescences

with white and shortly pedunculate flowers; recurved

calyx tubes; and corollas with long hairs within the

tubes and on the adaxial side of the lobes. Further-

more, the two sampled Gynochthodes cf. nestled on the

basal polytomy of Gynochthodes subclade proving

their generic affinity (PP = 1.00). Comparisons be-

tween the Malesian Gynochthodes and these specimens

have shed light to the proposal of two new endemic

Gynochthodes species. In relation to these taxonomic

breakthroughs, implications of Philippine biodiversity,

and the industrial and medicinal applications of Gy-

nochthodes are presented.Prof. Jayson G. Chavez, Department of Biological Sciences,Institute of Art and Sciences, Far Eastern University, NicanorReyes St., Manila, Philippines.

Structural Development and MorphometricAnalysis of Male and Female Gametophytes

of Nitrogen-absorbing Canna x generalisBailey (Banderang Español)

Emmanuel D. Delocado, Antonio Delfin C. SumabatIV, Alyssa Jamie W. Gaw, Juan Miguel L. Laurel,

Vivian S. TolentinoAteneo de Manila University, Philippines

Because of their nitrogen-absorbing ability, canna beds

have been used as an ecological remediation strategy

for polluted water treatment. In the Philippines, coin-

cidentally, banderang español or canna lily is planted in

the road islands of flood prone areas such as España

and Marikina. This study aims to trace the ontogeny

of Canna x generalis Bailey (banderang español) ga-

metophyte and to characterize the development pat-

terns using morphometrics and statistical tools such as

repeated multiples ANOVA, t-test, and Cohen’s d for

mean difference. The study deemed to be significant

because of the possible relatedness of the gametophyte

development to its nitrogen-absorbing ability which

confers the capability to remedy polluted water.

Freehand cross sections of the anther, ovary and seed

were prepared and stained with acetocarmine, safranin,

and iodine. Banderang español androecium consists

of two trimerous whorls: the epipetalous staminate

inner whorl and the episepalous outer whorl. Septa

homogenization and stomium opening characterize the

maturation of the bisporangiate anther. In micro-

sporogenesis, the microsporocysts undergo successive

cytokinesis, callose deterioration, and mitosis to form a

vacuolated microspore giving rise to vegetative nucleus

and two sperm cells. Pollen germinates best at 20%

sucrose peaking on the 24th hour (d = 0.91). C. x

generalis ovary follows the monosporic polygonum

development. A megasporocyte divides meiotically

giving rise to a megaspore tetrad with the only func-

tional megaspore undergoing mitosis thrice to form an

octanucleated gametophyte. Morphometric analysis

revealed a positive correlation between the anther size

and the ovary size. While petal size and sepal size are

proportional, they pose no significant relationship to

the staminode growth. Also, anther growth peaks at

the length of 1.71 cm (± 0.4 cm). Recommendations

for further studies include usage of other histochemical

stains and through study of embryogeny.Prof. Emmanuel D. Delocado, Department of Biology, Schoolof Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University,Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108, Philippines

Using Ecological Studies aboutNaturalization Rate of Alien Plants in

Teaching Biology

Ji-Hyon Kil1), Kew-Cheol Shim2)

1National Institute of Environmental Research,2Kongju National University, South Korea

Invasive alien species are one of main factors to affect

on indigenous plants, ecosystems and biodiversity.

After surveying plants, which habituated in some areas,

both indigenous and alien plants were listed and natu-

ralization rate of alien plants (NRAP) were calculated.

Study sites are railway and riparian ecosystems, where

could be often mediated to by transport, animals and

humans. Collecting data were analyzed compara-

tively to examine ecological implications. The use of

NRAP can be an effective tool to understand natural



environment ecologically and ecological impacts of

invasive alien plants. Challengeable topics and

well-structured experiments for students could derive

students actively to engage and to motivate their curi-

osities. Rcological studies should induce scientific

meaning related to topics, experimental experiences

and then encourage them to invent original ideas.

Practical works based on ecological studies have po-

tentials to facilitate scientific inquiry activities.Prof. Kew-Cheol Shim, Department of Biology Education,Kongju National University, Gongju, Chungnam, South Korea

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)-aidedScreening of Wild Type Bacillus thuringiensis

Parasporal Crystalline Protein-based onStructure against Acded aegypti Larvae

Jing R. Bautista, Faith B. Amorado,Maria Luria S. Orbita, Franco G. Teves

MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, Philippines

Dengue has claimed thousands of Filipino lives in the

past few years with incidence that defy the traditional

seasonality of this mosquito-borne viral infection.

Preventive measures include destruction of known

mosquito habitats, use of mosquito nets and house

screens, fogging and use of chemical insecticides.

While adults may be killed or prevented from spread-

ing the virus through bites, the eggs and larvae can

survive and continue to spread the virus to the human

population. To date, there are only very few identified

strains of the bacterial species Bacillus thuringiensis

that produce the parasporal crystalline protein effective

against Dipteran insects such as mosquitoes. More-

over, there seems to be a relationship between protein

crystal shape and its efficiency as alarvicidal protein.

The gold standard for bacterial identification is consid-

ered to be 16S rRNA sequencing. However, in this

study, SEM was employed to determine the parasporal

crystalline protein structure and deduce its larvicidal

strength through actual Acded aegypti larval toxicity

assay. The method is fast, straightforward, and com-

parably cheaper than the alternative molecular tech-

nique in identifying candidate bacterial strains as

sources of bioinsecticides against the dengue-carrying

mosquito A. aegypti. It was also demonstrated in this

study that a single bacterialstrain could produce differ-

ent crystal shapes corresponding to characteristic LC50

(lethal concentration that kills 50% of the mosquito

larvae). This is the first SEM study on B. thuringien-

sis parasporal crystalline protein in the Philippines as

far as literature is concerned.Prof. Jing R. Bautista, Department of Biological Sciences,College of Science and Mathematics, MSU-Iligan Institute ofTechnology, Iligan City, Philippines

Ethnobotany of Ferns and Fern Allies inMount Macabol Marilog District Davao,

Philippines

Adorico M.Aya-ayUniversity of the Immaculate Conception, Philippines

Ethnobotany of ferns and fern allies was conducted in a

indigenous community at Mt. Macabol, Barangay

Salaysay, Marilog District, Davao City, to document

the tribal uses of the different species of pteridophytes

in the forest. The gathering of data was done through

interview with the chosen members of the community

and through the collection of herbarium specimens.

Seventy-one species of ferns and fern allies are col-

lected. Thirty-seven species (52%) have uses in the

tribe. These useful species serve wither as food,

medicine, ornament, ceremonial materials, or in other

forms of uses for the community. This paper presents

the local/common names, scientific names and the spe-

cific uses of the plants. The data obtained show that

despite human encroachment, Mt. Macabol remained a

home to a good number of ferns and fern allies useful

to the residents.Prof. Adorico M. Aya-ay, University of the Immaculate Concep-tion, Bonifacio Street, Davao City, Philippines

The Distribution and Relative Abundance ofMedium-sized Arboreal Mammals at MountMahuson, Mount Apo Key Biodiversity Area

Adorico M.Aya-ayUniversity of the Immaculate Conception, Philippines

Field surveys of arboreal mammals were conducted in

the forests of Mt. mahuson in Arakan Valley, North

Cotabato Province from October 2009 to March 2011.

With concentration on the prey items of the Philippine

eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi, the team searched for



Mindanao flying lemur Cynocephalus volans, Mi-

nadanao flying squirrel Petinomys crinitus, palm civet

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, and long-tailed macaque

Macaca fascicularis. The team conducted mammal

surveys for a total of 48.38 observation hours in seven

contiguous line transects (with a total length of 14 km).

The team was also able to gather data from opportunis-

tic sampling and dialogues with parabiologists. Re-

sults indicate that among these species, the long-tailed

macaques are most abundant particularly in the re-

maining forests at lower altitude (below 1300 masl),

followed by the Mindanao flying lemur and palm civet.

The Philippine tree squirrel scored only “frequent”

whereas both the Mindanao flying squirrel and pygmy

squirrel were found rare in the study area. The greater

number of individuals encountered in those particular

forests at lower altitude could be attributed to the

greater quality of (i.e. thicker canopy cover, larger

trees) habitats in the area. The greater abundance of

macaques relative to lemurs in the area suggests that

the lemurs are not the primary prey items of he nesting

pair in Mt. Mahuson. This is contrary to the fact that

a large bulk of prey items of the Philippine eagle popu-

lation in Mindanao consists of flying lemurs. Future

research should focus on testing this hypothesis in or-

der to further assess the prey population and foraging

behavior of the eagle pair in the mountain.Prof. Adorico M. Aya-ay, University of the Immaculate Concep-tion, Bonifacio Street, Davao City, Philippines

Vegetation Analysis of the PasonancaNatural Park in Zamboanga City

Jocelyn D. Partosa, Jamaica LotaAteneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines

This study analyzed the vegetation of the Pasonanca

natural Park in Zamboanga City. The sampling sites

covered Canucutan, Muruk 3 and Baluno. Three sta-

tions were established at intervals of 300 m each in

Canucutan and Muruk 3 and four stations in Baluno.

Five nested quadrats, each measuring 100 m2 with sub-

plots measuring 5 m × 5 m and 1 m × 1 m were plotted

at intervals of 10 m in each station. There were 283

individuals belonging to 45 species, 27 genera and 25

families. The taxonomic composition is mainly an-

giosperms and pteridophytes comprising 82.2% and

17.8%, respectively. There are 30 species with

known geographic range; and of these, 60% are en-

demic or native, 33.3% are cosmopolitan and 6.7% are

exotic. Data on species composition, distribution,

importance values, and diversity indices all suggest that

species diversity is high in all three sites. Species

evenness though was fairly high in Canucutan com-

pared to Muruk 3 and Buluno based on Simpson’s

measure of evenness. Converselly, all three sites have

comparatively high species evenness based on Shan-

non-Wiener’s index. There are few species under the

threatened category (either vulnerable or critically en-

dangered). Several species though are either not

threatened (33%) or not evaluated (27%). The ecol-

ogically important species belong to families Araceae

(E. pinnatum and Rhapidophorra sp.), Arecaceae or

Palmae (Arenga sp., Calamus sp. And Caryota sp.),

Euphorbiaceae (M. tanarius), Maranthaceae (D. canei-

formis) and Athyriaceae.Prof. Jocelyn D. Partosa, Ateneo de Zamboanga University,Zamboanga City, Philippines

Assessment of the Mangrove ForestStructure of Selected Marine Protected

Areas of Southeast Cebu

Cristina C. Genosa, Delia P. Buctuan, Rhodora Z.Layumas, Ida L. Ssantiago, Patricia M. Mailed

Southwestern University, Philippines

A study was conducted to assess the mangrove forest

structure of selected Marine Protected Areas of South-

east Cebu using the descriptive survey method. Spe-

cifically, the study sought to identify the mangrove

species composition, density and describe the commu-

nity types and zonation of the selected study sites.

There were five identified study sites which included:

(1) Brgy. Bagacay Marine Fish Sanctuary, Sibonga; (2)

Sitio Pungtod, Siala, Sibonga; (3) Brgy. Taloot, Argao;

(4) Brgy. Cawayan Marine Sanctuary, Dalaguete; and

(5) Sitio Nonoc, Brgy. Daan-lungsod, Alcoy. The

study identified 19 mangrove species which included

12 major mangrove species, four minor mangrove spe-

cies and three mangrove associate species. The dens-

est tree stand was located in site (3) followed by site (1),

(4), (2) and the least stand density as in site (5).

Summing all densities from all sites for each species, it



was found out that the most dominant major mangrove

species was Rhizophora sp., followed by Avicennia sp.

and Sonneratia sp. These three species are character-

ized as highly adapted to sandy/muddy substrates

which is the most common feature of all the study sites.

All study sites were categorized as riverine forest types

which are tall flood plain forests along flowing waters

such as tidal rivers and creeks. Conditions in this type

of forest are favorable for extensive growth due to

flushing by daily tides.

<Sorry for missing some of the last sentences.>Prof. Cristina C. Genosa, Southwestern University, Cebu City,Philippines

Seed Morphology of Two Endemic Species ofMedinilla Gaud (Melastomaceae): Its

Implications for Disposal and Germination

Jan Lorie M. Robil, Vivian S. TolentinoAteneo de Manila University, Philippines

The morpho-anatomy of seeds of Medinilla magnifica

and Medinilla sp. was studied under light and scanning

electron microscope (SEM). The goal of this study is

to delineate the morpho-anatomical characteristics of

seeds of two closely resembling Medinilla spp. Aside

from acrodromous leaf venation, melastomaceae is

recognized among dicots with their numerous exalbu-

minous seeds. This is true among Medinilla species,

where seeds develop from anatropous ovules of the

epigynous ovary of the flower. Based on the close

resemblance of the two plants in terms of vegetative

and reproductive anatomy, one would expect that the

seeds of the plants would also be similar in terms of

their form. However, the investigation revealed that

there are several notable differences in their form, es-

pecially inn their external features. In terms of shape,

mature seeds of M. magnifica are round oval as com-

pared to those of Medinilla sp. Which are rather flat-

tened toward the micropylar end. A strikingly re-

markable difference was observed between the surface

textures of the seeds under SEM. The seeds of

Medinilla sp. Has rather smooth surface due to tabular

cells forming jigsaw puzzle-like pattern. The seed

surface of M. magnifica, on the other hand, has a rela-

tively rougher surface due to cells forming blister-like

projections. The seed coat surface has been studied to

have significant role in seed dispersal by biotic and

abiotic factors. The rough seed surface of M. mag-

nifica could be of great advantage when it comes to

adherence to aerial substrates during dispersal while the

smooth seed surface of Medinilla sp. Could be adaptive

to dispersal by animal frugivores. With regards to

internal anatomy, particularly to embryo form and posi-

tion, the seeds of two plants are relatively similar con-

forming to the general characteristics of Melas-

tomaceae. The short embryos of the seeds are straight

or slightly bent, lying along the long axis. At longitu-

dinal section, the lignified seed coat is thicker in the

chalazal end of the seed and diminishing towards the

micropylar end. The form and position of the em-

bryos are reflective of the phanerocotylar germination

of the seeds, which is common in the family. In con-

clusion, the seeds of Medinilla sp. and M. magnifica

have distinctly different external features but have rela-

tively similar internal anatomy. The observed mor-

pho-anatomical differences and similarities of the seeds

reflect morpho-functional and developmental adapta-

tions, which are important for dispersal and establish-

ment of the plants. These observations are of great

consideration for conservation of the plants since M.

magnifica and Medinilla sp. are considered endangered

and rare, respectively.Prof. Jan Lorie M. Robil, Department of Biology, School ofScience and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, LoyolaHeights, Quezon City 1108, Philippines

GIS Mapping on Invasive Aquatic PlantEichhornia crassipes (Commelinales:Ponteridiceae) among Wetlands andFarmlands in Carcar, Cebu, Central

Philippines

Alejandro C. Manlangit, Jr.University of San Carlos and Carcar Central NHS –

Carcar City Division, Philippines

Aquatic invasive plant species are widely considered to

be one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Water

hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is the subject of the

study on its invasive nature. The objective is to create

a GIS database to model for management of its occur-

rence, verification, and control. The data included

both physical and environmental parameters surveyed



in the field specifically its location and coordinates.

There are ten villages surveyed having wetlands and its

corresponding coordinates through GPS counter.

Research study points were identified prior to actual

recordings. Quadrat methods were established ran-

domly to determine species relative density. Eleva-

tion varies from 0.7 – 88 m above sea level. Station 6

has the highest percentage covered having 41.41% and

Station 1 having 3.38% as the lowest. Relative den-

sity and evenness was achieved highly at Station 2 - 5

having 281 species per 10m2 and Station 2 - 4 has the

lowest record having 102 per 10m2.

Prof. Alejandro C. Manlangit, Jr., Biology Department, Univer-sity of San Carlos, Cebu City, and Carcar Central NHS – Car-car City Division, Cebu, Philippines

Comparative DevelopmentalMorpho-anatomy of Idioblastic Oil cavityin Stem, Leaf and Rind of Citrus x sinensis‘Satsuma’ (L.) Osbeck (Sweet Orange) and

C. x microcarpa Bunge (Calamansi)

Emmanuel D. Delocado, Josh Nathan L. Ngai,Carol Angeline G. Yu, Reshan D. Baoas, Sol Kim,

Vivian S. TolentinoAteneo de Manila University, Philippines

Five years ago, the international market woth crisis as

prices of petroleum products fuelled up by almost

600%. Because of this, the search for an alternative

energy source among local species has been a fad.

This study investigates the development of idioblastic

oil cavities in the stem, leaves, and fruit rind of Citrus x

sinensis (L.) Osbeck (sweet orange) and C. x micro-

carpa Bunge (calamansi). Data from this study

serves as a progeny study for oil extraction strategies

and as a contribution to the growing literature on oil

cavity development. Freehand cross sections of the

stem, leaf and fruit pericarp for both plants were pre-

pared and stained using Nile Blue sulphate, Sudan IV,

and Sudan Red. Oil cavities originate as parenchymal

oil cells which differentiate into polyhedral inner cells

and flattened boundary cells connected to the epidermis

with a copule. Eventually, the flattening and swelling

of inner cells leads to lysigenic development of oil

cavities. Oil particulates start moving to the cavity

periphery and attract possible remaining oil substances

in the now flattened inner cells. The ontogeny of the

idioblastic oil cavity culminates with the oil deposit

forming in the cavity. Three layers of cell wall are

observed on rind oil cavity of both plants: a suberin

layer sandwiched between two cellulose layers. Oil

deposits stain positively in all three histochemical

stains. ANOVA (95% confidence level) reveals a

positive correlation between the diameter of the C. x

sinensis fruit and the diameter of the oil cavities. In

addition, the diameter of oil cavity of C. x microcarpa

increases significantly as it matures, then stop after it

ripens. Recommendations for further studies include

the preparation of fresh and permanent sections, mor-

pho-anatomical investigations of root and flowers, the

usage of other histochemical stains, and an exploration

on oil extraction techniques.Prof. Emmanuel D. Delocado, Department of Biology, Schoolof Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University,Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108, Philippines

Two New Generic Records in PhilippineRubiaceae Based on Plastid and Nuclear

DNA Sequence Data

Axwl H. Arriola1,2), Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro2)

1University of the East, 2University of Santo Tomas,Philippines

The tribe Vanguerieae (Rubiaceae) in the Philippines is

represented by Canthium (20 spp.) and Psydrax

(monotypic). Recent studies done in the tribe showed

that most of its representatives form a heterogenous

assemblage. The genus Canthium was restricted by

having supraaxillary spines. This raised questions on

the position of the PPhilippine Canthium as members

are without spines. In this first molecular study of

two Philippine Canthium (C. monstrosum and C.

ramosii), trnL-F and ITS regions were sequenced, as-

sembled and aligned manually using Se-Al v2.0 and

subsequently analyzed using MrBayes 3.1.2. Inter-

estingly, the majority-rule consensus tree revealed that

the two Philippine species were nested in two different

clades with high support; C. monstrosum within the

Keetia clade (PP = 0.92) while C. ramosii grouped with

the Pyrostria clade (PP = 0.98). Therefore, we pro-

posed two new combinations, the Keetia monostrosa

(A. Rich.) Arriola & Alejandro and Pyrostria ramossii



(Merr.) Arriola & Alejandro. This study establishes

for the first time the two genera (Keetia and Pyrostria)

in the Philippines. The IUCN red list declared that

conservation status of Keetia and Pyrostria were from

vulnerable to critically endangered.Dr. Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro, College of Science andResearch Center for Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Santo Tomas, Espana, Manila 1015, Philippines

Reproductive Characteristics of Grapsustenuicrustatus (Herbst, 1783) (Decapoda:

Grapsidae) Found in Talim Bay, Lian,Batangas, Philippines

Michael A. Clores1), GliceriaRamos2)

1Ateneo de Naga University, 2De La Salle University,Philippines

Understanding the breeding potential of a well dis-

persed marine invertebrates, like crabs, entails deter-

mining variation of its productive characteristics

(Duran, 1991). The present study determined some

reproductive characteristics of Grapsus tenuicrustatus

(Herbst, 1783), a brachyurans (true crabs) which are

among the most widespread and diverse groups of in-

vertebrates. Samples of G. tenuicrustatus were col-

lected at Talim Point (130 57’ 55.43’’, 1200 36’

20.36’’E), a portion of Talim Bay at Barangay Ligtasin,

Lian, Batangas, at rocky areas near the seagrass beds.

Results revealed that there were more male G.

tenuicrustatus (n = 81) than female (n = 52) with a sex

ratio of 1.13:1. Thirty percent of the samples were

ovigerous females. Ovigerous female crabs have the

largest carapace length (CL) (mean ± SE: 31.25 ± 1.43)

compared with the males (mean ± SE: 22.14 ± 0.73)

and non-ovigerous females (mean ± SE: 26.63 ± 1.12).

Based on one-way ANOVA, the CL differences were

significant (F = 20.383, df = 2, p < 0.01). Difference

in CL between non-ovigerous and ovigerous females

was also found to be significant based on t-test for in-

dependent samples (t = 2.582, df = 70, p < 0.05).

There was a non-conspicuous bi-modal size distribu-

tion for all the crabs, with non-normal distributions for

all crabs (one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) =

1.735, p < 0.05) and for males (KS = 1.464, p < 0.05),

but not when all females or ovigerous females only

were grouped together. The size-frequency distribu-

tions of males and females are significantly different

from each other (KS = 2.582, p <0.0001)). The same

was observed between the size frequency of ovigerous

and non-ovigerous female crabs (KS = 1.502, p < 0.05).

Moreover, there were more ovigerous crabs belonging

to the first year age class (CL = 16 – 33) (53%) than

those that belong to the older class (CL = 34 – 43)

(47%). The fecundity of G. tenuicrustatus ranged

from 4400 (CL = 16 mm) to 26,400 (CL = 43 mm)

eggs. Egg volume ranged from 0.40 ml to 2.40 ml.

<Sorry for missing some of the last sentences.>Michael A. Clores, Department of Natural Sciences, Ateneo deNaga University, Philippines

Anti-bacterial Potential of the Cultivatedand Wild Type Adlai (Coix lacryma- jobi

Linn.) Plant Extracts

Jeany Cuaresma Dupo, Lorenza G. LirioBenguet State University, Philippines

Antibacterial potential of aqueous, ethanolic and

methanolic extracts of the different plant parts of the

cultivated and wild types of “adlai” (Coix lacryma-jobi

Linn.) was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus

and Escherichia coli, gram-positive and gram-negative

bacteria, respectively. The antibacterial activity was

performed by paper disc-diffusion method. The pres-

ence of antibacterial agents in the plant extract was

determined by phytochemical analysis and thin layer

chromatography. The zones of bacterial inhibition

produced by the test organisms were subjected to

analysis of variance and the differences in treatment

means by DMRT at P=.05. No activity was seen in

the aqueous extracts while a slight antibacterial activity

was observed on the ethanolic and methanolic stem and

root extracts of both plant types except the methanolic

stem extract (50mg/ml) of the cultivated type which

showed a very significant growth of inhibition against

S. aureus (14.5mm) and E. coli (13.2mm). The anti-

bacterial activity was comparable with the standard

antibiotic, streptomycin (15.2mm). Results of the phy-

tochemical studies revealed the presence of alkaloids,

steroids, flavonoids, saponins and polyphenols which

were active against both gram-positive and gram nega-

tive-bacteria. Moreover, thin-layer chromatography

confirmed the presence of sterols, phenols and essential



oils which is rich in triterpenes in the methanolic ex-

tract of the stem (cultivated type). The ethyl ace-

tate:methanol (95:5) showed the greatest resolution

with 4 spots using different detection method and is

recommended as the mobile phase which provides a

hRF value of 0.59 – 0.76. The results obtained in the

present study suggest that the plant can be used in

treating diseases caused by the test organisms and pro-

vide very important information to the medical and

pharmaceutical industries in developing cheaper drugs

of plant origin.Prof. Jeany Cuaresma Dupo, Benguet State University. LaTrinidad, Benguet, Philippines

A Study on the Anti-Diabetic Potential ofPansit-Pansitan (Peperomia pellucida)

Extract

Patricia Anne P. Bonifacio1), Jason C. Alcarez1),Edna A. Amparado2)

1Philippine Science High School – Main Campus,2University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines

The use of pansit-pansitan (Peperomia pellucida) ex-

tract as a substitute treatment to high blood glucose

levels of diabetic patients was verified to provide a

more affordable alternative to diabetic maintenance

medications. One kilogram of leaves was acquired

and air-dried for two weeks, then steeped in 99% etha-

nol for three nights. The pure extract was obtained

through a rotary evaporator then air-dried for one day.

Alloxan was initially supplemented at a 150 mg/kg-

body weight dosage to four groups of mice with three

replicates per setup to induce diabetes. Controlled

variables include environmental conditions and diet,

while experimental variables consist of extract concen-

tration and blood glucose levels. The 50.00 mg/

kg-body weight extract was prepared in ethanol at 50 –

75% concentrations then administered to two setups on

non-diabetic mice. Glucose levels were checked after

the first hour, then after every four hours for 24 hours.

Preliminary data showed significant lowering in the

levels of mice treated with extract solution. The

ANOVA tests confirmed this initial conclusion. The

success of this study presents a cheaper alternative dia-

betic treatment to underprivileged patients. A new

source of income may also be ascertained if the me-

dicinal potential of this common plant is further inves-

tigated.Patricia Anne P. Bonifacio, Philippine Science High School –Main Campus, Quezon City, Philippines

<Workshops>

Create a Sheep Mascot While Feeling the

Texture of Wool

Hirofumi NaekawaTokyo Gakugei University, Japan

Despite sheep is a familiar animal for people, we be-

lieve that the number of children and students who

have never seen or touched the animal in their life has

been increasing in recent years. This workshop is an

experience-based booth where you can actually touch

wool and create a sheep mascot while feeling the tex-

ture of wool. I will exhibit how to make the mascot.

You can bring the sheep mascot back to home. As the

mascot materials for one person, you only need one

gram of wool, two laces with wire 24 cm in length, and

scissors.Dr. Hirofumi Naekawa, Department of Biology, Tokyo GakugeiUniversity, Tokyo, Japan

Integrating Environmental Education into

Integrated Science Courses in the K-12 Cur-

riculum – A Workshop on Adapting Ideas

from Native Seasons, Project Wet, Wild and

Learning Tree into the Filipino Context

John Paolo DalupangAteneo de Manila University, Philippines

With the implementation of the new K-12 curriculum

in the Philippines, educators in various levels in Basic

Education have raised concerns about challenges in

implementing an all-integrated and spiraling approach

in teaching science. This concern is most resonant in

the 7-10 grade levels where concepts in the major sci-

ence courses, namely biology, chemistry, and physics,

are taught in the same grade levels within the same

school year. While textbooks and instructional mate-

rials are still being developed for this new curriculum,

teachers are left with their creativity and ingenuity on

how to effectively cover these topics.



This workshop will provide educators in various levels

with ideas that can help with creating learning re-

sources and lessons that can help with the issue of inte-

gration. The main ideas that will be presented in the

workshop will come from established environmental

education curricula that have been used in the United

States for over 10 years – Native Seasons, Project WET,

WILD, and Learning Tree. Through developed in

another country, the activities presented in these learn-

ing materials are vey flexible and can be easily adapted

to the context of its learners. Grounded in environ-

mental education, these curricula used what7s available

in the learner’s community environment to understand

the concepts in science. The workshop will begin

with a brief description of the tenets of environmental

education and the background of each of the curricula.

The rest of the session will consist of hands-on and

lively activities that are mostly geared to some topics in

the new Philippine K-12 Grade 6, 7, and possibly

Grade 8 (if time permits) science curricula in science.

Attendees from other countries might want to prepare a

list of topics for their Grade 6- or 7-equivalent levels

for referencing with the learning materials.

The proponent of this workshop neither in any way

represent the organizations that developed the men-

tioned learning materials nor is connected with the

same organizations. The proponent just wants to

share options that became useful during his teaching

career. It is a workshop where teachers can share

ideas to help cope with the demand of the new curricu-

lum.Prof. John Paolo Dalupang, Ateneo de Manila University,Qezon City, Philippines

A Simple Laboratory Work on DNA Extrac-

tion at Secondary School Level

Yoshihiko Yonezawa, Noriko BanbaNaruto University of Education, Japan

For a biology class at the secondary school level, a

simple method for DNA extraction from flower buds of

broccoli was developed using a mixture of 4% NaCl

solution and 1% SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) solution

(24:1) as an extraction medium. However, this simple

method is unsuitable for the DNA extraction from fruits

of banana and strawberry, because the UV absorption

spectrum of the ethanol precipitate from the extracts of

banana and strawberry did not show the typical absorp-

tion curve of DNA. Therefore, we propose broccoli,

which can be obtained at any time and by the reason-

able cost, as a plant material. In addition, the di-

phenylamine-colorimetric method is also proposed for

detecting extracted DNA. In this workshop, we

demonstrate this simple method for DNA extraction

from flower buds of broccoli.Prof. Yoshihiko Yonezawa, Department of Biology, NarutoUniversity of Education, Tokushima, Japan

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Publication

A book, Biology Education for Social and Sustainable Development, was published in 2012 by Sense

Publishers, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Some papers presented at the 23rd Biennial Conference of the

AABE which was held in Singapore in October 2010 were compiled in this book by the co-organizers

of the conference, Dr. Mijung Kim and Dr. C. H. Diong. You can refer to the abstracts of these pa-

pers in the sixth volume of the Asian Journal of Biology Education (2012).

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Obituary / From the Editor-in-Chief


Obituary

Dr. Chung Yong-Jai, who was the chairman of the AABE from 1988 to

1990 and organized the 13th AABE Conference (Seoul, Korea) in 1990,

passed away peacefully on the 6th February 2013 at the age of 88.

His continuous participation in the AABE activities during the early stages

of the association was worthy of note.

May he rest in peace!

From the Editor-in-Chief

The seventh volume of the Asian Journal of Biology Education (AJBE) contains two re-

search papers, one practical note and the abstracts of the presented papers at the 24th Biennial

Conference of the AABE, which was held at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philip-

pines, from the 5th to the 9th of December, 2012.

I still have some articles contributed from the AABE members and others. These articles

are in the reviewing process and may be included in the next issue which will be published in

2015. The next issue will include the abstracts of papers presented at the 25th Biennial Con-

ference of the AABE which will be held at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

from the 13th to the 16th of October, 2014.

Everyone can contribute their research paper, practical report, or the report on biological

resources to AJBE. So, I would like to ask the readers to contribute their articles to this jour-

nal.

The articles contributed to AJBE last year have been reviewed by the following persons as

well as the Editorial Board members: Dr. Raman Anantanarayanan (Charles Sturt Uni-

versity, Australia), Dr. Takeshi Fujita (Chiba University, Japan), Dr. Kei Kano (Shiga

University, Japan), Dr. Hideo Kitano (Tokyo Institute of Biology Education, Japan), Dr.

Takayuki Sato (Hirosaki University, Japan), Prof. Morakot Sukchotiratana (Chiang

Mai University, Thailand), Dr. Merle C. Tan (UP NISMED, Philippines), Dr. Kunio

Umeno (Japan University of Economics, Japan), Dr. Robert Wallis (University of Bal-

larat, Australia), Dr. Shigeyoshi Watanabe (Kumamoto University, Japan), Professor

Yoshihiko Yonezawa (Naruto University of Education, Japan). I am very thankful to

them for their efforts to review the articles.

Dr. Nobuyasu Katayama

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